It Will Always Be Damon
by CasButtSalvatore
Summary: Elena is turned into a vampire after Klaus's sacrifice and she's now depressed that she has lost her chances to procreate forever. Or has she? Damon is the only Salvatore willing to find out.
1. Vampire Blood To The Rescue

"I can't loose you, Elena." Damon whispered, his soft blue eyes laced with agony. Elena gave him a reassuring smile.

"You won't." Damon couldn't accept those words, he knew that all Elena was holding onto was her faith and her stubborn inability to let Bonnie die. Damon knew what he had to do, but unfortunately...he also knew that Elena wasn't going to ever forgive him. To him it was worth it, at least he wouldn't have to spend eternity mourning the loss of the most beautiful girl he'd ever known. She let go of his hand and began to head toward the door, but Damon was quickly in her way.

"There is another way." It killed him to see the fear manifest in her eyes. Despite everything, Elena was the one person he didn't want to be afraid of him. He choked it down and dealt with it, he had to do this.

"Damon, no!" She could hardly get the words out before he ripped a chunk out of his wrist and forced it to her lips. Elena didn't want to, she fought it, but too much of his blood eventually filled her mouth and she had to swallow it. When he felt her swallow, he let her go, praying that she'd one day understand.

"You're so bent on dying...at least now I know you'll come back."

"As a vampire!" Stefan hissed, running into the room at vampire speed and knocking Damon to the floor. Then he was just as quickly by Elena's side, as if to make sure she was okay. The idea really pissed Damon off, Stefan should know he'd never hurt her, everybody should know that! Damon just glowered and allowed his incompetent little brother to speak.

"How dare you of all people take that choice away from her." Damon exchanged a bitter look with his brother and then turned a softer expression to a scared and angry Elena. He could tell by the look on her face that she wouldn't be forgetting this any time soon.

"Go ahead, wish me an eternity of misery. Trust me, you'll get over it." With that, Stefan had him on the ground again, his fangs bared and his eyes deadly black pools.

"Stefan stop!" Elena screamed. Damon's heart lurched with hope. The fact that she still cared enough about his safety showed him that maybe, just maybe, she didn't hate him. Stefan stood up and stalked across the room, grabbing Elena by the arm and leaving the house without so much as a goodbye glance to Damon.

Damon had never seen such anger on Stefan's face and he wanted to make sure Elena would be safe with him. Damon followed Stefan and Elena as the climbed an awfully long distance up a mountain...good thing vampires had patience. Damon could sense Elena growing tired and he wanted to pick her up and carry her, but he knew he couldn't make he presence known. Damon was half scared that Stefan would end Elena's misery by flinging her off the top. He kept close to her, watching her body language intently, attempting to figure out exactly how he was feeling. He could only come to one word...betrayed. That was the last emotion he wanted her to feel, and he was hoping whatever Stefan was planning was pleasant enough to take it away.

When they reached the top, Damon positioned himself behind a tree and listened as Stefan asked Elena how she was feeling.

"I was supposed to grow up...decide if I wanted to have kids and start a family. Now all of that is gone, it's been decided for me." She said quietly, allowing the tears to flow. Damon's heart ached, he hated it when she cried and he hated it even more when he was the reason. Damon had never thought about the fact that she would no longer be able to have children...and he never knew she had wanted them that badly. Damon suddenly had this need fill up in his chest, the need to be the one to give her that, a child...their child. He didn't know how he was going to do it but he was going to make it happen.

Stefan moved closer to Elena and extended his hand. Damon thought he was probably going to caress her in comfort. To his surprise, Stefan slapped Elena hard across the face.

"How dare you, Elena! Children?! So what, you had planed on stringing me along until you found a nice human to settle down with?! Fuck you...you selfish bitch." Within seconds Damon had his hands around Stefan's neck, his fangs dangerously close to Stefan's artery.

"If you EVER touch her again I will not hesitate to rip your throat out." He spat, his voice dripping with a kind of malice that even Stefan had never heard in his voice before. Elena sat on the ground, her hand cradling her bruised cheek and crying Damon's name. He immediately let go of Stefan and picked her up, tenderly kissing the spot she'd been struck on.

"Are you okay?" She just shook her head no and buried her face into the crook of his neck. He was back at the boarding house with the blink of an eye, carrying her upstairs and laying her on his bed. He lay down beside her and she rested her head on his chest.

"Do you...forgive me?" He chocked out, afraid of the answer.

"I'm dying tonight regardless, so what does it matter?" He kissed her temple.

"It matters because you're coming back and I don't want you to hate me for eternity. My heart couldn't take that kind of pain again, Elena." Elena was surprised that Damon had let so many walls down...enough to say something like that.

"Can we talk about that later? I just want to go to the sacrifice and die...I obviously don't have Stefan to live for anymore." Damon's eyebrows furrowed and he wanted to yell at her for being a martyr, but he knew that right now she just needed someone to be there for her.

"You should have never lived for Stefan. You should have lived for me, you have always had me, Elena. But I'm always everyone's second choice. When we met the night your parents died I thought you'd be the one to change all that. But I was wrong." She sat up an stared at him.

"Damon...we didn't meet the night my parents died..."

"Sure we didn't." He sighed, knowing she'd remember by the end of the night. Before Elena could ask any more questions there was a knock on the door.

"Klaus.." Elena whispered.

"You better come back to me Elena...I meant what I said earlier. I can't loose you." He said intently, his smoldering eyes consuming her. She gently reached up and kissed his lips, catching him off guard.

"Goodbye, Damon." He watched with a deep look of grief in his eyes as the woman he loved walked out the door for her date with death.


	2. The Sacrifice

Damon lay on his bed for a while after Elena left. He couldn't stop thinking about how hard Elena had cried, how upset she was that she would never be a mother. He himself had never wanted children, he figured he'd be a shitty dad. But now that he knew that's what Elena wanted, all he could see in his head were children that were a perfect blend of him and Elena...he craved that. He wanted to marry Elena and father her children more than anything in all the world. He got up and reached for his phone, dialing Bonnie's number and praying she'd answer.

"What the hell do you want, Damon? If you're asking me to save Elena, I'm sorry, you already stopped any chances of that by forcing your blood down her throat." Damon sighed.

"Stefan told you? Damn it...just hear me out witch, that's not even what I need."

"I don't care what you need Damon, I'm hanging up."

"Help Elena conceive!" He blurted out loudly, hoping she'd hear him before she hung up.

"Excuse me?" The confusion in her voice was evident.

"Elena wants to have a baby...but pretty soon she'll be a vampire...is there anyway you can fix that? Surely you have something in your little cookbook that can help her." Bonnie was silent for a few moments, as if pondering her words before speaking.

"Listen to me very carefully. We have already upset nature too many times, we can't keep pushing the spirits...pretty soon they will retaliate and you and I both know that wont be pleasant. Besides, I'm not helping you knock my best friend up with your bastard of a child." She spat, hanging up in a huff. Damon gritted his teeth and bashed a lamp against his bedroom wall. He hated Bonnie so much, he'd have ended her pathetic life along time ago if it weren't for Elena.

Damon was getting restless, he'd planned on spending the time of the sacrifice looking for procreation loopholes, but since Bonnie wasn't cooperating he decided he'd pay Katherine a visit, maybe she'd learned useful information during her 500 years of running. Katherine was still under Klaus's compulsion, but Damon had already been invited in.

Katherine sauntered over to him with a coy look in her eyes and a sassy smile on her face. She was obviously mistaking the date for 1864 if she thought for one moment that he'd melt and crumble under that look like he used too.

"Are you finally willing to play with me now that your precious little Elena is playing sacrificial lamb tonight?" She asked, tracing her finger down his chest. He smacked her hand away.

"I'm uninterested in any of your games tonight Katherine. Elena has my blood in her system. She's going to be just fine, I'm here to ask a question." She looked amused, but she also had a look in her eyes that suggested she was hiding something from him. He grabbed her by the throat.

"On second thought I'll save the Q and A for later, what the hell are you hiding from me Katherine?" Pure shock washed over her features.

"How did you..."

"When you spend 145 years loving somebody you tend know them considerably well. Now spill." She sighed as best she could through his death grip.

"He has Jenna...Klaus turned her into a vampire. Looks like Elena now has an eternity to mourn her dear little aunt." Damon slammed her head into the wall and chocked her harder.

"I thought he was using Vampire Barbie for the damn sacrifice! Why the hell does he need Jenna?!" When Katherine didn't answer Damon grabbed a pencil off Klaus's desk and stabbed it into her stomach.

"Tell me." He demanded. Katherine shrieked and looked up at Damon with a guilty expression.

"S-Stefan rescued Caroline and Tyler Lockwood...Klaus made me lure Jenna out, I'm s-sorry." In his rage, Damon threw Katherine against the wall and raced to the sacrifice.

Damon knew he'd reached the site when he heard the racing of Elena's heartbeat and smelled her intoxicating scent. There were three enormous rings of fire, each containing a girl. There was Jules, Jenna, and his Elena. As much as Damon wanted to spend forever with Elena...he knew she and Jeremy needed Jenna more than anything, and he knew what he had to do. He saw Klaus kill Jules, that was his cue to intervene.

"Klaus!" He turned an stared hard into Damon's face.

"I don't recall you being on the guest list. What can I do for you Mr. Salvatore?" He mouthed 'I love you' to Elena and said "I'm hear to take Jenna's place." He smirked.

"Quite the hero...aren't you?" Damon glared daggers at him, his eyes shinning by the light of the fire.

"Just make the trade, Klaus. Let Jenna go." Elena wanted to scream no, but what could she do? Condemn Jenna? She was going to loose either way...either way someone she loved died. Klaus grabbed a stake and before Elena could scream a no, he pushed it threw Damon's back.

"Sorry love, I have other plans for your boyfriend." Then the witch let the fire around Jenna down saying it was her turn.

"Turn it off Jenna...you won't be scared anymore." Elena urged through her tears. With one last cry from Elena, Klaus drove a stake through Jenna's heart. Damon wanted to hold her...to take the pain away. He wanted to promise everything would be okay, but he couldn't.

"Thank you, Elena." Klaus whispered as he sunk his fangs into her neck.

"Elena! Princess, look at me, look at my face." Damon called out. She looked into his deep blue eyes, trying to concentrate on them as she felt the life being drained out of her.

"You don't feel any pain, you aren't hurting anymore." Damon soothed as he compelled her. She gave a gentle smile to him as if to say thank you, and then he heard the thud of her heart cease and saw her eyes fall closed. She was gone. Damon resented the cruel way Klaus let her body drop when he let go of her...It made him sick. Klaus grinned and began laughing hysterically.

"I can feel it! It's happening!" However, as he started to shift he caught a glimpse of someone he was sure he had killed. Bonnie and Caroline had showed up, and Bonnie was not going easy on Klaus, using her witchy powers to fling him across the ground.

"Get her out of here, I'll stay and make sure the deed is carried out." He said to Caroline as she removed the stake from his back. She nodded and picked Elena up, fleeing with her as fast as possible.

"Y-you were dead!" Klaus whimpered as Bonnie set fire to his legs. He screamed loud enough to shatter glass as she used her powers to twist his insides and cause every vein in his skull to burst. Bonnie tortured him to the brink of her own death and then took a step back, allowing a familiar face to take over.

"Elijah..." He whispered, shooting a betrayed look at his brother.

"Hello, Brother." He sighed, exchanging glances with Bonnie and Damon. They nodded at him and he dug his hand deep into Klaus's chest, eliciting a loud scream that bellowed ferociously from his lungs.

"In the name of our family...Niklaus." Klaus shook his head with panic.

"I didn't bury them at sea! Their bodies are safe!" Elijah hesitated and within that moment Damon and Bonnie knew it was over.

"If you kill me you'll never find them." Damon hated feeling helpless.

"Elijah, don't listen to him! He has lied to your fave a million times before, what makes you think now is any different?" He reasoned, trying to remind Elijah just how two-faced his brother was. Klaus looked up at his older brother with pleading eyes.

"Elijah, I can take you to them. I give you my word, brother." Not able to take the fact that he was seriously considering this, Bonnie blurted out "Do it and I'll take you both out." Elijah gave her an incredulous look.

"You'll die..."

"I don't care!" She spat back. Despite the evident threat that Bonnie and Damon were to them at that moment, Elijah murmured an "I'm sorry" and fled instantaneously with Klaus.

"Damn it!" Damon screamed. Bonnie shot a half sympathetic look at him.

"Hey, calm down . We did everything we could."

"Well that's not good enough, Bonnie! My Elena died for nothing, became a vampire for nothing! And now she has lost her only guardian thanks to my jack ass of a brother!" Bonnie attempted to console him but he wasn't having it.

"I don't want pity from a stupid witch that calls her best friends future children bastards." He mumbled coldly and ran back to the boarding house as fast as he possibly could.

Caroline has Elena on the couch. He caressed the side of her face gently, a worried expression plastered on his face.

"Come back to me...Elena. You promised." He said gently, holding back his tears as best he could. He bent down and brushed his lips against hers briefly. The moment he pulled back Elena shot up, taking in a sharp and painfully unnecessary breath.


	3. The Feed

Damon stared deeply into Elena's deep brown eyes.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" She shot off the couch and into his arms.

"No...I never wanted this Damon." She cried. He ran his fingers through her hair in comfort.

"Shhh...it's going to be alright. I'm going to teach you everything I know, you'll be okay. I promise." She nuzzled into his neck, curling into his chest as he picked her up to cradle her. He walked her slowly up the stairs to his bedroom and once again laid her in his bed. He kissed her forehead and told her he'd go get her a bloodbag. When he reached the doorway she called out to him.

"Damon?" He turned and gave her a half hearted smile, not used to seeing her like this.

"We don't have time for chit-chat, Princess. I need to get you fed, then we can talk, okay?" What she said next stopped him in his tracks.

"I remember." She whispered. His heart froze and he took a deep breath, preparing for what she might say.

"So what? I doubt it really changes things." He said nonchalantly, keeping his walls up for safe measure. She almost looked hurt.

"Damon it changes everything...if you hadn't compelled me to forget those things I would have made different choices...and it's sad because I bet you don't even know do you?" He walked back into the room and took her roughly by the shoulders, doing the thing with his eyes that he knew drove her crazy.

"What don't I know, Elena?" It came out harsher than he meant for it too and she flinched. She looked as if she were about to cry, but she smiled up at him.

"I love you, Damon. And despite everything that's happened between me and Stefan...I know he wasn't the right choice. I've known for a while now...I just didn't know how to say it...I choose you, Damon. It'll always be you." Damon swallowed hard and got dangerously close to Elena's face, stopping when their foreheads touched. Elena shivered when their eyes met, unsure of what all he was feeling.

"Promise me one thing, Elena. Promise me that you mean it when you say that it will always be me, because if you turn right around and leave me for Stefan...that's it. I will officially be done, no humanity left, not an ounce. Don't do that to me." She placed her hands on the side of his face.

"No more Stefan. I want only you, I want to be with you forever." She whispered. That did it for Damon. He crushed his lips hard against hers, everything he'd felt for her since day one flooding into one act. No one had ever chosen him, not before now.

"Finally." He breathed as he pulled away from her.

"I knew you couldn't resist me for much longer, girls always fall for the bad brother." He said with an arrogant smirk. While his words weren't exactly romantic, she saw the playfulness behind his eyes and just grinned at him.

"Don't make me regret it Damon." He winked at her and promised to be right back, exiting the room to fetch her dinner.

Damon was particularly happy now that he'd finally gotten what he wanted, so it came as no surprise that he avoided Stefan who had just walked into the house. He wasn't going to let his brother ruin this mood. He grabbed two bloodbags and hurried back to his room, sitting beside Elena to share the experience with her. She snuggled into his side and he whispered "Bottoms up." They both downed a bag, completing Elena's transition, and then he wrapped her in his arms as she dosed off. He felt so at peace...he hadn't been that happy or content in over a century.

"I'll teach you to hunt properly when you wake up, okay?" She just nodded sleepily, eager for the long night to come to an end with a good sleep. Stefan walked in right about then. He gave Damon an icy look.

"What, you just going to let her kill people Damon? You're trying to turn her into a murderer such as yourself?" Damon snorted.

"I'm trying to teach my girlfriend self control, something her ex is seriously lacking in, Mr. 'Ripper of Monterey'." Stefan's expression grew darker, angrier.

"What the hell do you mean, girlfriend?"

"What does it matter? You ended your relationship with her the moment you struck her, brother. You know that. I meant what I said by the way. If you ever touch her again, I will rip YOU to pieces and put you back together, see how you like it." Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Oh we'll see about that." He growled, leaving the room and slamming the door so hard it snapped off its hinges.

Damon mumbled profanities under his breath, pissed that he'd have to fix that later. He picked Elena up again and carried her to his Camero. He figured Elena wouldn't want to hunt her prey anywhere near Mystic Falls, so he was taking her on another road trip to Georgia.

When she woke up in the car she shot Damon a sleepy grin.

"You just love to kidnap me don't you?" He gasped in mock-hurt.

"Are you saying you wouldn't come by free will? Ouch babe." He laughed carelessly. She enjoyed seeing this side of Damon, it was a nice break from brooding bunny stalking Stefan. She just gave him a coy little smile and they drove to Georgia in a comfortable silence.

When they got there Damon took her to a trashy little restaurant that looked considerably insanitary. Noticing the disgusted look on Elena's face he whispered "No worries, I took you here because I figured it'd be easier to find a scum-hole to eat instead someone people would miss. It'll help with the guilt if you accidentally..." She glared at him.

"Damon don't go there." He noticed a few escaped tears and immediately felt bad.

"Hey, look at me. I'm only teasing, I won't let you do that okay?" His tone was sincere, so she nodded and chocked back her fear. He got out and opened her door for her, extending his arm for her to take. They were approached by a bald waiter with purple bags under his beady bloodshot eyes and breath that reeked of whiskey. He seemed to be staring quite hard at Elena, which Damon did not take a liking too. He jotted Damon's order down and then turned every ounce of his attention to Elena. She hadn't been paying attention, she was staring down some jerk that had just crushed an anti-depressant into his wife's wine.

"Listen doll face, you going to order or am I going to have to teach you to pay attention in a man's presence?" He asked roughly, squeezing her leg hard with his enormous hand. Elena felt Damon's entire body go rigid beside her and when she looked over at him his eyes seemed to be on fire.

"Elena... Why don't you go catch yourself the druggie for breakfast...I've found mine right here." He whispered bitterly. She nodded and went to go sit with the wretched man while his wife was in the restroom.

"Excuse me, Sir? Would you like to join me outside for a little...experiment?" She asked seductively with a wink. He grinned.

"We'll have to make it quick before the old lady comes back, but sure." As soon as Damon was sure Elena was out of sight he compelled the waiter to follow him to the men's room. He was glad Elena had taken her meal outside, he didn't want her to see how angry he was...he usually treated his victims a lot nicer than what he had planned. However he realized quickly that Elena probably needed his help, so he sighed and went for the quick kill, snapping his neck and walking outside to Elena. He figured he didn't want that creeps blood in his system anyway and left mumbling something about the bastard getting lucky.

He found Elena with her fangs sunk deep into the druggies flesh, drinking wildly...it was kind of sexy to see her animalistic side.

"Care to share? I ended up just snapping the dick waiter's neck, he royally pissed me off."

Elena didn't want to stop but the thought of Damon starving was enough to make her let go. He smirked and wiped some of the blood from her mouth lovingly with his coat sleeve.

"I told you I wouldn't let you kill anyone." He said with a smirk, his own fangs springing out and biting into the other side of the mans neck. Elena smiled to herself and wondered if this had been part of Damon's plan all along. She loved how smart and devious he was. When Damon let go he compelled the man to forget this ever happened and to start treating his wife the way she deserved to be treated. The man ran back into the restaurant and Elena gave him an enormous smile.

"Why don't you let people see the good in you?" He inched closer to her, one hand in her hair and the other pulling he chin to her face until their lips were most touching.

"Because when people see good they expect good." Her heart fluttered, his words only making her fall deeper in love with him.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I know." He said with a smirk, finally closing the distance between them with a passionate kiss.


	4. Blood Sharing

That night Damon rented the two of them a hotel room and while Elena slept, he snuck off to a bar he knew was just down the road. He left a letter on his side of the bed that wrote:  
My Princess of Darkness, Elena,  
If you wake up to my absence, don't worry. I will return to you soon...quite possibly with a surprise.  
-Damon  
When he entered the bar he looked around for anyone who may have had a connection to his ex lover Bree, whom he had killed last time he took Elena to Georgia. He snooped around for a while, surprised that even after almost a year, all Bree's things were still as they were the night she died. He was sifting through some of the things behind her counter when he heard a high pitched female voice demand to know what he was doing.  
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He asked the teenage girl standing before him. She looked around Elena's age and had an annoyingly strong resemblance to Bonnie...it was almost Doppleganger like.  
"Bonnie?" The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance.  
"My name is Adriana." Damon smirked.  
"Good, if you'd been who I thought you were I just might have killed you...she's the last person I want to see right now." He mumbled.  
"Who are you and what do you want?" She huffed impatiently. Finding nothing useful in the things he was pillaging through he decided to humor her.  
"I'm Damon...I used to know the owner of this bar...do you happen to know if she has any living relatives?" She looked surprised.  
"You knew my mother?" Damon stared at her like she was crazy.  
"Bree didn't have any children..."  
"I'm adopted...a good friend of hers gave birth to twins seventeen years ago, she and her husband could only afford to keep one, Bree offered to take me off my real mothers hands. Bree always told me that I was the lucky twin, because as it turns out her friend ended up abandoning the other one and fleeing town." She said with a shrug. Damon's eyes widened as he realized he had just found the possible answer to his prayers.  
"What's your last name?" He inquired intently.  
"Bennett, why?" He took a deep breath.  
"I think I know your sister."  
Back at the hotel, Elena was panic stricken when she awoke alone. She read Damon's letter and grew awfully confused, she couldn't think of any reason why Damon would go on a mysterious errand in the middle of the night without even telling her. She worriedly dialed his number.  
"Damon where the hell are you?"  
"Don't worry Elena, I have business to take care of...I promise I'll be back soon."  
"Don't keep secrets from me, Damon. What's going on?"  
"I'm not keeping secrets, calm down. You'll find out soon enough. Go back to bed babe, I'll be back before you know it." He promised, hanging up before she had the chance to argue.  
"Was that my sister?" Adriana asked eagerly. Damon shook his head.  
"No, that was my girlfriend."  
"The one you want to have a child with?" Damon nodded.  
"And if you want to see your sister you will help me do this, understood?" Adriana nodded, smiling widely at him. Damon was shocked that she was so much more naive than Bonnie. Adriana pulled out her grimoire and flipped through several of the pages, seemingly in very deep thought. Damon was getting restless, worrying that if he was out much later then Elena would come looking for him.  
"Hurry up witch, I don't have all damn night." She glared at him, but it wasn't too much longer after that she found what they were looking for.  
"Ahhh here it is. However...you aren't going to like it."  
"Spit it out." She sighed.  
"It is indeed possible for vampires to procreate, although it has never been accomplished. But vampire procreation is a rare act of nature...there is no spell that can force that." Damon got up angrily.  
"Isn't that perfect! Thanks for wasting my time." He spat, stalking for the doorway.  
"Wait! But there is more information here that may help you." Damon waited for her to continue.  
"Vampire procreation is so rare because the only vampires with that ability are born of the Patrova bloodline...they have to be Dopplegangers. And on top of that, the Doppleganger has to mate with her one true soulmate for it to work." Damon's heart nearly leapt out of his chest...Elena was a Patrova Doppleganger.  
"How can you tell if you're her one true soulmate?" The excitement in Damon's voice was evident, and it made Adriana smile.  
"The same way any vampire knows who their soulmate is...you have to blood share." Damon pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled Bonnie's number on it.  
"Thank you. Here, go give your sister a call." He said with a genuine smile. She smiled back, but before she could reply he was gone.  
When he made I back to the hotel he found Elena pacing. He laughed.  
"I told you to go to bed...you look like an angry old married woman." She glared daggers at him and he put his hands up in surrender, still chuckling to himself.  
"Okay, I'm sorry."  
"Where were you, Damon?" He melted under her worried expression.  
"I was out getting you this." He said gently, handing her a single rose that he had picked up quickly for her on his way back. She gave him a sweet smile as a thank you, but was obviously still suspicious.  
"That's all you were going?" He decided to let her in on half of the truth.  
"It took me so long because I ran into a girl that looked exactly like Bonnie. We talked for a while and figured out that she's Bonnie's twin sister."  
"What?! Oh my god, I have to call Bonnie."  
"No, no, no. I gave her Bonnie's number, I think they need to talk about it themselves, she needs to hear it from her." She beamed at him.  
"That was sweet of you." He shrugged.  
"Sometimes I do things I don't have to do." She raised an eyebrow at him and he just smirked, laying down on the bed and putting an arm behind his head. She climbed up on the bed and straddled his waist. His eyes glazed over in a lust filled haze as he imagined the things he could do while she was sitting so provocatively. She noticed that he seemed to be pondering something, so she leaned in a little closer and whispered "What are you thinking about?"  
He did the eye thing again, simply to drive her mad and then shot her a Cheshire Cat grin.  
"I'm wondering what it would be like to blood share with you." She tilted her head to the side in confusion.  
"What's that?" He stroked the side of her face gently.  
"Blood sharing is the most intimate experience two vampires could possibly share. It's more personal than sex...ten times more personal, and about twenty times more pleasurable. It's how most vampires find out who their soulmate is...they taste it in their blood." Elena was hanging on Damon's every word, the want plastered clearly on her face.  
"Can we do that?" She whispered.  
"Would you like to?" He asked, biting his wrist and offering it in front of her. She gulped in a large amount of air as if she were nervous, and shakily bit her wrist for him as well. Damon took that as a yes and quickly shoved her wrist to his lips. Elena slowly pulled his wrist to her lips too and they both bit down at the exact same time.  
The only word Damon could think of to describe what was now happening was 'mind-fuck'. He moaned and pulled back on her hair, enjoying the sensation of her blood pouring down his throat and coursing through his own veins. His pants suddenly got tighter as he watched her eyes roll back and she let out a wild growl. The two of them saw a bright light behind their eyelids and suddenly they were seeing a vision of the two them, a vision of him on one knee and looking deeply into her eyes. "You're my soul mate...my eternal love." He whispered. Damon smirked at the vision, sucking harder at her wrist. He almost whimpered, feeling his need to be inside her intensify. Now that he knew they were soulmates there was surely nothing stopping him.  
Elena was in heaven, she'd never felt more close to Damon. All of his emotions were pouring into her soul as she took in mouthfuls of his blood...and it tasted better than anything she'd ever eaten. Damon could smell her arousal, which only made him get hotter. Vampires couldn't normally smell things like that, but Damon knew that when you bonded your souls together by a blood share, things changed. He was tied to her forever now, there was nothing that could ever change it. Knowing he couldn't take anymore if her blood without hurting her, he pulled back and watched adoringly as she let out a whimper of protest and pulled back as well. He chuckled at her expression.  
"Don't look at me like that, if we'd gone any farther we'd have both passed out. How do you feel?" There were no words that Elena could use to properly articulate how that had felt, but she simply whispered "Take me Damon." Damon felt his cock twitch at her words, but he knew he shouldn't.  
"Elena, I want you so bad, you know that. But not tonight, as many things that I have screwed up in m life, I want to do this right. Let me take you on a date first." She smiled at him.  
"That's very...1864 of you." He grinned widely and pulled her close to his chest, holding his breath as she licked the left over blood from his neck. He wanted to do things different with Elena... But god, she was so not making it easy. He sighed.  
"Just so you know, Miss Elena, my old world manners can only last so long...eventually I'll claim you in every room of my house, can you handle that?" His voice was dripping with lust, but his stunning blue eyes told a story of irrevocable love. Elena's face tuned dark red and her mouth was suddenly very dry. Unable to find her voice, she just nodded timidly. He burst into laughter at that, mumbling "You're so cute." Forgetting she could hear him.  
"Am not!" She giggled,grabbing the pillow from her side of the bed and smacking him with it.  
"You'll regret that little girl." He said, pushing her on her back and holding her down by her wrists.  
"I'm so sorry Mr. Salvatore, what's my punishment?" She asked coyly. He groaned, suddenly wishing he hadn't set that date rule. He ran his fangs down her neck to her collar, taking just one little nibble, allowing his fangs to just barely pierce the skin. Her moan was cut short with her yelling "Stefan!". Damon quickly looked behind him and saw Stefan lurking in the doorway.  
"Way to kill the mood Stefan..." He almost whined.  
"What are you doing?!" Stefan exclaimed.  
"Well baby brother...when a man loves a woman very much-" Damon said with a sarcastic smirk.  
"Don't go there Damon." He spat. Elena was a little disturbed that Stefan had followed them there.  
"What the hell Stefan? How long have you been here?!" Stefan gave an almost evil grimace.  
"Long enough...I was passing through and when I heard your familiar little mewling noises I thought I'd come make sure my brother wasn't killing you...Even the vampires he loves all seem to croak. Despite your betrayal, I'd like to make sure I don't have to clean another one of Damon's messes off the walls...have fun." He said with a harsh smile. A deep growl erupted from Damon's chest and he hissed at the spot where Stefan had been standing. Elena sighed and rubbed his back.  
"Just ignore the bunny worshiping freak." Elena said to him in comfort. Damon's eyes widened in pure shock before he doubled over in laughter, leaning over to kiss her forehead.  
"I think eternity with you is going to be one hell of a beautiful ride."


	5. The Ring

Upon returning to Mystic Falls, Damon called Alaric and asked him to join him in the foyer while Elena was out doing girl things with Bonnie and Caroline. Ever since her transition she had practically been living with Damon and Stefan, especially now that Damon had recently compelled Jeremy to move to Denver after Jenna's death. Alaric arrived around three with a brand new bottle of scotch. Damon grinned.

"And that's why you're my favorite house guest, Ric." He laughed.

"I thought that was Elena." Damon scoffed.

"Elena's no house guest, lets face it, she might as well move in. She hasn't slept at her place since...well..." He gave Alaric a sly smirk and he just rolled his eyes in response. They sat and sipped the scotch for a while in silence before Alaric finally sighed and looked over at his best friend.

"I know I'm not here for no reason, Damon. What do you want?"

"You don't think I'd just want to hang out with my best drinking buddy?" They both laughed.

"We both know that if you wanted to do that you'd have just invited me to the Grille. Whassup?" Damon sighed and took another long sip of scotch before answering.

"You know Elena pretty well...and I didn't feel comfortable asking Vampire Barbie or Bitchy Witch Sidekick...hell Ric, I'm even uncomfortable asking you..." He trailed off, downing his alcohol anxiously and poring another glass. Alaric had never seen Damon like this.

"Uncomfortable to ask me what?" He sighed.

"Is Elena the kind of girl that wouldn't have children until marriage...I mean like, do you think marriage is a deal breaker?" He stared open mouthed at him.

"What the hell Damon...yes! Of course it's a deal breaker...you know how Elena is, and besides I won't allow it otherwise. Jenna would want that for her." Damon had forgotten that Ric was her official guardian now and would probably take a fatherly view on it. However he figured he was right anyway, When they had blood shared he had felt how responsible she always was...and that was the responsible thing to do. He swallowed his fear and looked nervously back at Alaric.

"Then help me pick out a ring." Alaric's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You serious Damon?" He gave a slight nod.

"She is my soulmate after all, isn't that what you do with them?" Alaric gave a heavy sigh.

"Don't hurt her, Damon." Damon's eye twitched in annoyance and he shot Alaric a warning glare.

"Don't be an ass, Ric. Just help me...please?" He said the word please with goofy smirk, causing Alaric to roll his eyes again and join Damon in walking to his Camero. They drove in an awkward silence to a nearby jewelry store. Damon was nervous, he had bought pretty things for pretty girls before, but this was so much different. He gazed at a fourteen karot pink sapphire ring with a simple white-gold band that he thought she'd like, but Alaric was shaking his head in disapproval.

"That's too Caroline." Damon shrugged.

"She deserves something more expensive anyway." He sighed, eyeing the case carefully for something that screamed Elena.

Unable to find anything special, he pulled Alaric over to the side.

"I didn't see anything she'd like...did you?" Alaric shrugged.

"Not really." Damon seemed to be pondering something, remaining quiet for a few moments before giving his friend a serious look.

"I have a ring locked up somewhere in the boarding house. In the summer of 1864, while starring in a theatrical engagement at the Boston Museum, John Wilkes Booth became smitten with a 17-year-old beauty named Isabel Sumner. Having been a confederate soldier, it was no surprise that I'd take my girlfriend out to see a play in the District of Columbia. Booth and Miss Sumner were making out back stage and she dropped something he'd just given her. It was this beautiful gold banded ring with a silver flower design that wrapped around a pearl. As in love with Katherine as I was, something in The back if my mind told me to hold on to it..." He trailed off. Alaric's mouth hung agape as pure astonishment washes over his features.

"You have a ring that belonged to the man that killed Abraham Lincoln?! Dude...I'm not sure Elena would want that, it kind of carries negative association." Damon nodded.

"Why do you think I was going to get her a ring here instead? Problem is...she's the only girl special enough for that ring...the only one that measures up to its beauty. I mean come on Ric, I wouldn't even give it to Katherine...and I dated her that century! I spent 145 years of my life loving her and for some reason that ring felt too special to give away. Until now...but do you think she'd accept it?" Alaric nearly laughed out loud at his friend.

"I can't believe you even thought for one moment she'd prefer something you bought...get out of here!" Damon grinned cockily.

"Well that's good...I already have our names engraved on the inside and have it ready in my pocket." He said pulling it out to show him.

"Why the hell did you bring me out to a jewelry store if you already knew what you were giving her?" His smile only grew bigger.

"Oh I just needed a second opinion." He practically sang as he walked out of the store and dialed Elena's number. She had just gotten home from her girls day with Bonnie and Caroline and had been taking a nap. She rolled over and looked at the clock, it was still early in the afternoon and she wondered why he was calling. Due to the blood sharing, it was incredibly easy for the two of them to immediately sense and understand what each other were doing, even if they were miles apart, so he knew she'd been napping.

"Rise and shine sweetheart, we have a hot date tonight." She could hear his arrogance threw the phone, but it made her smile.

"Pick me up at seven?"

"Oh you can count on it, Princess." He hung up and went home to plan. He wasn't sure that Elena would say yes if he asked so soon. Besides, he still had to drop the bombshell on her that they were able to successfully mate. He decided he'd find out tonight how she felt about having his children, and he'd save the proposal for a little later.

He climbed into the shower, knowing that Elena had just gotten in the shower too. Damon liked that about blood sharing, he liked knowing those things, liked knowing that their lives were connected. The thought of them being in the shower at the same time was driving him crazy and Elena felt it too. It was like they never left each other, they were always by each other's side. Now they would be forever, and that was all Damon had ever wanted...to love and have that person love him back.


	6. A Date to Remember

Damon arrived at Elena's house at seven on the dot. Damon adjusted his favorite leather jacket nervously as he stood on her porch. He didn't even have time to knock before she sped to the door, having felt his presence. She looked Damon up and down, as if devouring him with her eyes. His black shirt was tight, stretching across his abs perfectly, hugging every godly crevice. His grey jeans made the blueness of his eyes pop, making them look like a deep glistening ocean. Even as a vampire she felt blood burn behind her cheeks as she blushed. He smiled gently at her, wanting to burn how she looked that night into his memory forever.

She was wearing a stunning peach colored one-shoulder dress. It was made from a soft chiffon that gave the dress a pretty, draped look. It tied gently around her waist with a white belt that matched her heels. Damon stuttered a little, trying to find the right words to describe how beautiful she looked. His breath hitched in the back of his throat and all he could do was put his hand to the back of her head and tenderly pull her into a kiss. Their tongues danced in each other's mouths for a few moments, Elena's fingers curling into Damon's hair and pushing him closer. When they pulled away Damon just smiled and caressed the side of her face.

"You look amazing." She beamed at him.

"So do you." He offered her his arm and she happily took it and allowed him to escort her to his car. He put in his favorite _3 Doors Down_ CD and skipped to "Here Without You", singing along very softly under his breath. Elena smiled, having never heard anything that beautiful in all her life. His voice was like velvet, the words rolling off his tongue like they were written for only him. She wondered how many times he had done this in the car with her and she just hadn't been able to hear him as a human. She was almost sad when they pulled up to the restaurant, not wanting him to stop.

"You should have been a singer." He laughed at that statement and reached over to kiss her temple.

"Now, now, Princess. Just because I'm an eternal stud doesn't mean I'm a good singer." She giggled.

"You are the only man I know that can be modest and arrogant at the same time." He smirked.

"It's just one of my many talents." And with that he got out and opened Elena's door for her. She took his hand and Damon laced his fingers with hers, using his other hand to open the restaurant door. The inside was like nothing Elena had ever seen before. Oil paintings lined the walls and the air smelled of lilac. All the tables were draped in tablecloths of the finest silk and along the east side of the room was a beautiful winding staircase. Upon each table was a Georgian bronze candelabra, and the table in the far left corner was covered in scarlet rose petals. Damon leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I bet you can guess which table is ours." Elena was awestricken. She looked up at Damon, her big brown doe eyes dripping with affection.

"This is so perfect." He grinned.

"I thought you'd like it." When they sat down, he sighed heavily, knowing what he had to tell her might very well ruin the mood….depending on how she took it. A petite waitress by the name of Ashleigh came to take their order.

"I'll have whatever my lady is having." Damon said as he winked at Elena. She blushed deeply.

"I think I want Chicken Pudding and an Iced Tea, please." Ashleigh skipped away happily and Damon raised an eyebrow at Elena.

"Chicken Pudding…Hmm, that's been a Virginia favorite since the 1800's, but most people now days wouldn't dream of ordering anything that sounds that disgusting." He laughed. She slapped him playfully.

"My mother used to make it." Damon looked impressed and took a minute to revel in the moment. Elena was a thousand times more gorgeous than anything in this restaurant, which was saying something. He reached across the table and took her hand in his, rubbing it gently and staring into her eyes.

"Elena…we need to talk. Do you remember what you said to Stefan the night you died?" She shot him a worried look, wondering why the hell he was bringing up Saint Stefan.

"Damon, I know I said that I didn't want to be a vampire, but it's okay. I've accepted it…thank you for not letting Klaus permanently kill me." She said with a sweet smile, which he returned.

"You're welcome, Princess. But that's not what I'm talking about. You said that you were sad that you could no longer have children…what if I told you that I'd found a way around that?" Elena stared at him.

"What are you saying?" He sighed.

"Bonnie's sister found it in her little cookbook…the only vampires with the ability to conceive and give birth to a child are born of the Patrova bloodline. They have to be Doppelgangers, and it only works if they mate with their one true soul mate." Elena's eyes welled with tears and her expression became unreadable, which upset Damon. He was starting to fear that she was going to freak out on him. He squeezed her hand.

"Listen, Elena. This is why I didn't want to have sex until after tonight. I wanted you to not only be more than my other girlfriends, but I wanted you to know the risk…and I didn't want to push you into something you weren't ready for. I am 172 years old; I'm more than ready to be a father. But you're only 18, so it's your choice on what you want to do." By the time he finished she had tears streaming down her face.

"Damon…if I were still human I'd laugh in your face, tell you I was too young and needed to get out and experience things. But now that I'm a vampire I have an eternity to do anything I want…so what do I have to lose? Right now, all I really want is to start a family. I've lost so many people recently that family is what I need in my life right now. And I couldn't think of a better man to have children with." She smiled through her tears and kissed him from across the table. He grinned from ear to ear.

"You mean it? You don't mind having the baby of a guy like me?" He asked almost insecurely. She shook her head.

"Oh Damon…I hope they're exactly like you." She whispered reassuringly. At that moment the food came, but neither of their minds were on food. They were dead anyway, it's not like they really needed it. Instead, a suddenly passion filled Damon laid a one hundred dollar bill on the table and pulled Elena out of the restaurant. He pushed her up on the hood of his car and crushed his lips to hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist and entwined her fingers in his messy black hair in response. He moaned, ripping her dress off in one swift motion and removing her bra hungrily with his teeth. With one flick of his fingernail her underwear was in shreds at his feet and his hands curled around her hips, holding her in place on underneath him, mentally noting that he may never want to get his car washed ever again.

She undressed him at light speed and he buried his face into her neck, biting up and down roughly and swallowing little gulps of blood that only made the heat in his groin intensify. She whimpered like a kitten and bit into his shoulder, causing Damon's back to arch in pleasure. Once they were both latched on securely and getting a good amount of blood from one another, Elena guided Damon in her mind, helping him find just the right spot and he gently slid inside of her. Elena let go of his shoulder to gasp loudly, he was ten times bigger than Stefan. He let go of her as well, sitting back and watching her face as she adjusted. His eyes were filled with adoration as he watched her, her face almost angelic with its olive complexion and blood stained lips. It made him ache with bliss that it was his blood on her face and in her mouth…his blood in her veins, his blood that turned her. It was all him and nobody else, no Stefan. She belonged to him and only him, and when they got married they'd be bonded in every way possible.

When she started rocking beneath him he took it as a sign that it was okay to move. He captured her lips with his and slowly began to thrust his hips forward. He pulled her hair hard as she let out a wild moan, clawing at his back and bucking her hips up to met his. Damon knew he was close, so he sped his pace up considerably in hopes that they could release together. When Damon could hold on no longer, he pulled her close to his chest and whimpered out "I love you so much" as he emptied himself out inside of her. Her body shook with pleasure as they both rode their orgasms in each other's arms. He kissed her forehead and she sighed happily as he pulled out and put his pants back on. Realizing he had mutilated her clothes, he gave her his shirt and jacket and opened his Camero door for her.

"Get inside sweetness, can't have anyone but me seeing how adorable you look in my clothes." He said with a smirk. Damon was in absolute heaven. That had been the best sex of his life and for Damon Salvatore…that was saying something.


	7. Katherine

If Katherine Peirce was anything, she was a good liar. A good liar that wanted nothing more than her freedom so that she could see a certain Salvatore again. She hinged her fingers around Klaus's belt loops and pulled him into his bedroom. Pushing him down on his bed, she began to unbutton his shirt and kiss down his collar.

"I beg your pardon, love, but what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I want you Klaus…play with me." She said with a sickly sweet tone, her eyes wide and childlike. Klaus stared at her, shocked that after 500 years of chasing her, she was flinging herself at him. He pulled her close to his face by her curly locks.

"Finally tired of running, Katerina? Decide to give in to just being my little sex kitten instead of a scared little prisoner?" Katherine grabbed his crotch with her left hand and gave it a big squeeze. He groaned loudly, having not been touched anywhere near there in 900 years.

"Klaus...I'm tired of pretending that I'm not in love with you." She cooed to him, practically purring under his touch. He grinned.

"Ah this isn't love, Darling. This is compulsion." Katherine smirked inwardly at the sad look beneath Klaus's eyes. This was going exactly the way she'd planned.

"It's real for me Klaus…I just wish you didn't feel the need to compel me. Then you'd know." She said with tears in her eyes. He smiled at her and looked deep into her eyes.

"Katerina…you are free from my compulsion." Katherine smiled and leaned down, kissing him hotly and running from the room in a flash.

"Stefan here I come." She called out with a laugh, knocking on the boarding house door as giddy as a ten year old girl.

It had been a few weeks since their first date and Elena had officially moved in with Damon and Stefan. Since Jeremy was in Denver and Jenna was dead, there was nothing left in that house for her but bad memories. She and Damon were sharing his bedroom now, considering they'd been together about a month now and they'd been in love for over a year before that. They were snuggled into each other, Damon's arms wrapped securely around her and they both seemed to be sleeping soundly. Katherine just couldn't help herself. She walked over to Damon's side of the bed and caressed his face.

"Damon…my little boy toy, wake up." She leaned down to kiss him but she soon found herself against the wall of his bedroom with a handprint across her cheek.

"Ouch, you dick." She mumbled angrily. He sat up, careful not to wake Elena and growled.

"What the hell are you doing here, Katherine? I thought you were under Klaus's compulsion." She smirked.

"I was…but let's just say that I can be very persuasive." She said, her voice filled with seduction. Elena sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"You're such a slut." Damon kissed the top of her head and chuckled.

"That's my girl." Katherine glared at them, but before she could come up with a snarky come back, Elena bolted to the bathroom. Katherine cocked her head to the side at the vomiting sound they both heard echoing into the room.

"Since when do vampires get the flu?" Damon ignored her and ran to the bathroom, holding Elena's hair back for her.

"Princess…you okay?" He had the most worried look on his face that had probably been there in all his life. She'd thrown up what looked like an entire liter of blood. Elena turned around with tears in her eyes.

"D-Damon…what's wrong with me?" He pulled her into him and ran his fingers through her hair as she softly began to cry.

"Shhh, take my blood. You'll feel better, sweetheart." He said soothingly, gently pressing his wrist to her lips. Then he felt Stefan's presence behind him.

"What's wrong with her?" Damon turned to glare at him while continuing to run his fingers in Elena's hair with his free hand.

"Don't pretend to care, Stef. Why don't you take your pity to Katherine? I'm sure she'll eat that up." He spat, quickly turning his attention back to his girlfriend. He heard Katherine call to Stefan in a disgusting little voice and Stefan finally left the room.

"Elena, I think you need to go back to bed. I'm going to call Adriana and see if she can figure out what's wrong." Elena nodded and Damon picked her up, carrying her back to their bed and covering her up.

Adriana never picked up her cell, and Damon was too worried to leave Elena's side, so he spent an awful night of Elena throwing up and Katherine taunting both of them by having extremely loud sex with Stefan. By about 3:30 Elena had fallen asleep and stayed asleep, although Damon spent the rest of the night watching her carefully. The alarm clock went off at 6 as usual and Elena got up to get dressed, despite Damon's protest.

"Elena…you spent yesterday vomiting blood all over my damn bathroom, you aren't going to school." She sighed and gently placed her hand on the side of his face in an attempt to sooth him.

"I'm going to be fine, Damon. I feel a lot better, and at school I have a chance to find Adriana…I'll be okay. I'm a vampire now; I don't need a baby sitter anymore." He rolled his eyes at her.

"This isn't about your protection for once, Elena. There is no big bad vampire or hybrid I'm trying to save you from. So don't act like that's what I'm doing. You are sick! I don't know how and I don't know why, but you're sick and you need to rest. God, out of all the things to be magnified by your vampirism it just _had _to be your stubbornness." He ranted. He turned in her direction to apologize, realizing that he'd probably hurt her feelings, but it was too late. She'd already ran from the house as fast as she could.

Tears framed her face as she stalked into the school building. Caroline was the first to approach her.

"What's wrong, Elena?" She shook her head.

"Nothing, Care, Damon was being an ass this morning that's all. Do you have any idea where Bonnie and Adriana are?" Caroline still looked worried but she shrugged it off and smiled.

"They're in Mr. Saltzman's class room already." Elena thanked her and headed as quickly as possible in human speed to Alaric's classroom, hoping to talk to them before the bell rang. She was glad to see Adriana sitting beside Bonnie that morning. It had made Damon really happy that she moved here to be with her sister, he trusted her over Bonnie.

"I need your help." She blurted out, causing both of their foreheads to crease with worry. She explained the vomiting situation as best she could and got much different reactions out of the two sisters. Bonnie freaked out.

"What the hell have you been letting Damon do to you Elena? That isn't normal; vampires don't get sick and they usually only vomit blood if they ingest vervain or get bitten by a werewolf. Do you think he slipped you werewolf venom?" Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"How dare you! As angry as I am at him right now, Damon would die before he'd hurt me." She yelled, causing Bonnie to flinch. Adriana just laughed at both of them.

"Would the two of you calm down? You're fine, Elena. Trust me. Damon did something to you alright, but nothing to hurt you." Elena wanted to demand an explanation, but the bell rang and class started before she got the opportunity. They sat in mostly silence and took notes on the war of 1812. It wasn't until half way through the class that the nausea from the previous day hit her like a title wave. She gagged loudly and the entire class turned to look at her as she fled to the nearest rest room. Adriana raised her hand.

"Mr. Saltzman, may I go check on Elena?" Quite worried himself, Alaric nodded. By the time Adriana got there Elena had already spewed blood all over the place. She was trying desperately to clean it up with some paper towels. Adriana grabbed some too and they wiped everything down, Elena curling up in the floor after they finished.

"Let me show you something." Adriana finally said, breaking the long silence.

"It's way too early for you to feel it now, but with the help of my magic I can show you. Put your hands on your stomach." Elena gave her a funny look but did as she was told. Adriana placed her hands on top of Elena's and mumbled a few words. It was then that she felt it…a tiny heartbeat was pulsing threw her stomach. As soon as Adriana's hands left Elena's the heartbeat left as well, but it was a feeling that Elena wouldn't soon be forgetting.

"You're pregnant, Elena." A small smile crept onto her face.

"Cover for me…I need to be with my boyfriend right now." Adriana nodded and Elena left as fast as she could. When she got home she found Katherine in nothing but a bra and the skimpiest panties she'd ever seen.

"You're home early…unfortunately." She sneered. Elena ignored her, needing desperately to see Damon. She found him in front of the fireplace downing scotch. He sighed when he heard her walk in, not really in the mood to put up with any scolding he was sure she was going to give him. All the heightened vampire emotions mixed with the added hormones she had hit her hard and she burst into tears.

"Do you hate me, Damon?" She cried. His heart melted and he got up, wrapping her gently in his arms.

"I could never hate you. I just wish you'd let me take care of you properly. I didn't mean what I said this morning…I mean, well…I did, but it's okay. You have plenty of better qualities that override that." He said with a grin, kissing her softly as an apology.

"Why are you home so early? Did you really feel that guilty?" He asked in disbelief. She shook her head.

"I have something to tell you. I talked to Adriana this morning and she knew exactly what was wrong with me." He seemed relieved.

"What is it?" She smiled widely at him, hoping he'd feel the same joy that was itching to burst out of her.

"Damon…I'm pregnant."


	8. The Salvatore Surprise

Damon had only ever imagined such things happening for him. Nobody had ever truly loved Damon, Stefan made sure of that. Their father had favored Stefan, his first love Katherine had favored Stefan, but what had hurt most of all was that the one girl he'd been willing to open up again to...the one he gave his heart to long before she gave hers back, his Elena...she had favored Stefan too. For the longest time he endured hearing "It's always going to be Stefan." He endured watching her be close to him, hoping just being nearby was enough to soothe his need for her. But now...by some sort of miracle things between them had changed. That one girl, the girl it was tearing him apart to not be loved from, was carrying his child. She had told him she loved him, she had blood shared with him, went on dates with him, and made love to him. All of those things had made Damon feel like the luckiest man in existence, but this...this feeling welling inside of him was different. When the words escaped Elena's pouty little lips it was like something inside of Damon snapped. All the pain he'd gone through in his 171 years on this Earth were suddenly right beneath the surface, mixed with all his love and his fear and even his anger. It was as if every emotion he'd ever felt was washing over him simultaneously. Finally letting all of his walls down...he cried. Damon Salvatore cried. The tears were gentle and silent and he smiled a tortured yet strangely happy smile. He pulled her into the softest, most tender kiss she had ever felt. She wrapped her arms around him and he buried his face into her neck, beginning to cry a little harder. She curled her long fingers into his raven mane and comforted him, half scared that he was unhappy.

"Damon...you changed your mind didn't you? That's why you're upset?" She asked in a terrified whisper. He pulled back to look her in the eyes, feeling guilty at the rejected look he found in them. His tears stopped falling and he composed himself, wanting to kick his own ass for letting all his emotions show through.

"Elena you have to understand something. You are the first person in over a century to even utter 'I love you' to me. My own brother hasn't even said it. I'm the bad brother, I will always be the evil impulsive older Salvatore. I'm not upset and I haven't changed my mind." He placed his hands on the sides of her face, his eyes looking as if they were piercing her soul.

"I'm thankful, Elena. After everything I've done wrong, you were the only one that still loved me. And now you've given me this gift..." He was no longer looking at her, but was gently caressing her flat-for-now stomach with his thumb, the rest of his hand woven protectively around her waist.

"You're everything to me." He whispered, pulling something from his pocket and kneeling before her.

"And it's because you're everything to me that I want to spend forever with you. Elena Marie Gilbert...will you do me the highest honor of being my wife?" He was doing it again, acting as if he were his old self. Elena loved who Damon was now, but old Damon was appreciated at times like this. This time it was her turn to cry, gasping his name and nodding a yes. He slipped the ring on her finger and got up, twirling her around in his arms and kissing her deeply.

"I love you so much." He murmured into her hair, running his fingers through it.

"I love you too. It's beautiful, Damon." And just like that his usual smirk was back in its everlasting glory.

"Just like someone else I know." She rolled her eyes and nuzzled into his side happily. She looked up at him when she felt him sigh and he still had the smirk plastered on his face, but she could tell he was genuinely happy.

"You better not tell a soul what my reaction to your little bombshell was." He mumbled. She grinned.

"Or what, you'll hurt me?" She shot back playfully. He put a look of mock-seriousness on his face.

"Maybe." He smiled inwardly as she rang out in laughter, he loved hearing her laugh.

"Well, what are we going to tell people?" He grinned.

"Tell them I knocked you up on the hood of my car in front of McDonalds and when you told me you were pregnant I said I was just proud to have a 'Baby Stud' running around." Elena smacked him and giggled.

"I am not telling people that!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh yes you are, because you are the only person that gets to know that weepy emotional Damon exists." She rolled her eyes again and smiled adoringly at him.

"Fine." He kissed her temple and took her by the hand, leading her to the Parlor where he knew Stefan and Katherine were.

"Why don't you practice on them, Elena?" She nodded and the couple took a seat on the opposite end of the couch as the other two vampires. Damon could tell that Elena was nervous so he put his hand on her leg and have it a gentle squeeze to let her know it was okay. She inhaled deeply and turned to look at her ex boyfriend. "Stefan...Damon and I have something to tell you." Stefan got a curious look and wrapped his arm around a smug looking Katherine.

"Okay then...spill it." Damon wrapped his arms around her from behind, feeling a little protective now that Katherine seemed to be a permanent part of his little brothers life now. Elena turned her head in his direction and whispered "which news first?" Damon shrugged.

"Start with the easy news and go for the big finish." Elena nearly laughed out loud at Damon's news reporter voice impression but held it together and grinned happily over at Stefan.

"Damon and I are getting married." Stefan's face contorted into a look of chagrin. He looked like he was going to vomit and Katherine didn't look so amused herself. Enjoying that entirely to much, Damon nipped at Elena's ear and cooed "and what else, my princess?" Making sure to glance at Stefan victoriously as he did. Elena stifled a giggle and almost felt bad for Stefan as she prepared to tell him the happiest news of both her and Damon's lives.

"I'm pregnant." This time Stefan stood up swiftly and stalked towards Elena. He grabbed her by the throat and nearly lifted her off the couch.

"That's impossible, quit fucking with me Elena! Isn't it bad enough that your throwing everything in my face by selling your soul to my brother?! This takes it too far!" Damon let out a deep growl and lunged for Stefan's throat. He immediately dropped Elena and was sent flying into the nearest wall. "I told you never to touch her again!" He roared in anger, his eyes turning black.

"She really is pregnant! Doppelgängers can procreate once they find their soulmate, it was in Adrianna Bennett's grimoire! Not that this information is useful to you now that I'm going to rip you apart." He spat, his voice trembling with rage. Damon grabbed Stefan's arm, twisting it backwards until the bone snapped. Damon was fully prepared to rip his limb off, but Katherine called out "Don't you dare hurt him!" Damon laughed maliciously.

"And what makes you think I'd do anything you asked of me? That ship sailed long ago, Katherine." Elena got up and put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Damon. I'm alright, let him go." Damon let Stefan's mangled arm drop and he kicked him hard in the ribs, pleased at hearing some of them crack.

"I wouldn't touch her again, brother. If I catch you so much as breathe in her precious air I will rip your heart from your chest. Got it?" Katherine got up from her spot on the couch to check on Stefan when all of a sudden a wave of nausea hit her and she threw up right next to his face. Stefan gagged in disgust, trying to hoist himself up but failing since his arm hadn't healed yet. Damon's expression twisted into horror.

"Dear god...a baby Patrova...related to my ripper brother...oh please no." He groaned. Elena just walked over to Katherine wearing a smirk she'd learned from Damon.

"I didn't know vampires got the flu." She retorted, strutting up the stairs to her and Damon's bedroom. Damon beamed.

"I knew there was a reason I fell for her." He chuckled, gliding up the stairs after her.


	9. Stefan Sleaze-atore

Katherine couldn't believe this was happening...this was her second chance. She'd been forced to give up one child before, and here she was centuries later with that same bubbly excitement that came with finding out your expecting...and this time things could be different. She placed a trembling hand on her abdomen and watched as Stefan finally sat up, his arm having just healed.  
"Uh...Katherine, lets just go to bed and we'll terminate the problem tomorrow, alright?" She shot a hurt look at Stefan.  
"W-What? Stefan...what do you mean, terminate the problem?" He snorted.  
"Listen Kit-Kat, lets not pretend that your a doting mother okay? You already have up one kid, and lets face it, neither of us are shaping up to be role model of the year...the kids better off." Katherine's eyes stung with tears and she slapped Stefan hard across the face.  
"HOW DARE YOU! Giving up my daughter was not my choice! You know that!" She cried angrily. Stefan put his hands up in defense.  
"Whatever, babe. But we aren't keeping that thing, we have enough problems. End of discussion." Katherine shook her head and backed up to the door.  
"That's where you're wrong Stefan. I'm having this baby whether you're willing to be in its life or not." Stefan sped to her side instantly and broke the leg off the closest chair.  
"Oh really? Well how about I just take care of it myself?" He threatened, raising the broken chair leg to her mid-section. She grabbed his hands in an attempt at pushing the stake away.  
"Stefan stop it!" Hearing the confrontation downstairs, Elena rushed to Katherine's rescue. She didn't like her, but she wasn't about to let Stefan hurt an innocent child. She punched him in the face and kicked him back over to the couch. This time he stalked towards Elena.  
"Don't think for one moment that I won't take care of my brothers little abomination as well." Damon flew down the stairs and attacked Stefan from behind, sticking his hand through his back and wrapping his fingers around his heart.  
"You're really pushing your luck with me, Brother. I don't want to kill you, but I will always put her life before yours." Damon squeezed hard, causing Stefan to scream in agony. Damon snarled, taking his hand out and slamming Stefan's head into the wall. Stefan fell to the floor and Damon brushed Elena's hair from her eyes, his face filled with concern.  
"You alright,Princess?" Elena nodded.  
"Is he..." Damon shook his head.  
"Nah...he'll wake up in a few." He said with a shrug. Katherine looked over sheepishly at the two of them.  
"Thanks..." She said it mostly to Elena, grateful that they shared the same intense maternal instinct. Elena just nodded and hid behind Damon as Stefan began to stir. Katherine followed suit, and Damon didn't object, taking a protective stance in front of both women. Stefan stood slowly and rubbed the side of his head. It wasn't until Damon's intense voice interrupted his thoughts that he turned to face them.  
"This is the last time I'm going to prove to you that I'm the alpha male. Get out, Stefan. Threatening the love of my life twice in one day is bad enough, but threatening my child crosses the line. Get. Out." He hissed. Stefan glared at Damon and then the two terrified Doppelgängers behind him.  
"Fine. Perhaps Klaus will be interested to know that Elena isn't dead." He spat, slamming the door as he exited the house.  
"Vampire Slut can have the spare bedroom, I'm sure you don't wanna sleep in Stef's." Damon thought he was being nice, but Elena glared at him. Damon just shrugged and tugged on her hand, indicating he wanted to go back to their room. She gave Katherine a small smile and mumbled a goodnight. Katherine actually gave Elena a genuine smile back and instead of taking Damon up on his offer, she went up to Stefan's room. She picked up one of his shirts and cuddled with it, lying down on his bed. She might have been mad at him, but he was her soulmate and she believed he'd come back.  
Back in Damon and Elena's room the mood was lighter. Damon was running gentle circles on Elena's tummy and they were throwing names out at each other.  
"How about this," Damon sighed happily after a while of arguing.  
"If it's a boy we name him Sebastian because after going through ten whole baby name books it's the only one I like, and if it's a girl we can name her Miranda after your mother." She pouted and curled into his chest.  
"But Ian is so much cuter than Sebastian!" He sighed.  
"Eh, Ian is okay...how about we name him Sebastian Ian, and you can call him Ian on occasion?" She caved under one look from his gorgeous blue eyes.  
"Okay, that's good with me." He kissed her forehead.  
"Thank you!"  
"I wonder if we're having a Sebastian or a Miranda..." Damon shrugged.  
"I'm just glad we made a decision!" He chuckled, snuggling up with her. She chortled and grinned up at Damon.  
"I love you." He just smirked and rested his chin on top of her head.  
"I love you too. I'm sorry, by the way. Stefan's being a major d-bag." Elena sighed.  
"That isn't your fault. Besides, I'm sure it hurts you more than it does me."  
"I don't get hurt, Elena." He stated flatly. She gave an exasperated sigh.  
"No, you don't admit that you get hurt. You get angry, cover it up, and then do something stupid." He raised an eyebrow at her.  
"You're scared...you think he's going to send me off the deep end? Elena, if I'm going to be a good father to this baby that means I have to protect it at all costs. If one of those costs is breaking my fragile bond with my brother then so be it. Maybe I need to be pushed off the deep end." He said thoughtfully. She turned to look at him and took his face in her hands.  
"Just remember that whatever happens, it's just the two of us, Damon. You're mine. I'm yours. We've loved each other since the beginning of time. Nothing and nobody can ever change that." Damon didn't respond, he didn't have to. His emotions were written all over his face. He pulled her into a rough kiss, rolling her on top of him and tangling his fingers into her long brown hair. She let out a hungry growl and her eyes blackened as he depended the kiss. He ran his tongue across her fangs, pricking his tongue on the point of one and eliciting a moan from both of them at the taste. He pulled back and laughed, leaning down to gently kiss her stomach.  
"I'm guessing from the looks of things that my baby is hungry...you should be a good mommy and feed it." He said with a grin, dangling his wrist in her face. She knew he was right, even though she could also tell that he mainly was just itching to blood share. She didn't need to be told twice, biting ravenously at his wrist in a way that turned Damon on. Damon's fangs grazed Elena's neck, just barely penetrating the skin before the phone rang. Damon cursed under his breath and Elena whimpered in protest as she had to unlatch from his wrist. The caller ID read Alaric's number.  
"This better be good, Ric, I am so busy right now." He said the last part with a seductive wink towards Elena that made her giggle.  
"What are you doing that's so important?"  
"Pleasing my woman, making sure our unborn child stays fed...you know, the usual." He said with a sarcastic laugh. He could practically see Alaric's eyes rolling through the phone.  
"There's someone I'd like you to meet, Damon. She could be very helpful to you and Elena...she's a doctor. And she kind of knows...everything." Damon's eyes became filled with curiosity, but his forehead creased with worry. The less that knew their secret the better.  
"I'll be there in five."


	10. Baby Mama Drama

The months since Stefan left passed quickly. Before they knew it it was December, and Elena and Katherine were four months pregnant. Damon had met with the doctor Alaric had told him about, Meredith Fell, several times now and had finally deemed her worthy to see his fiancée. Elena's first appointment with her was coming up soon.  
Katherine on the other hand wasn't worried about seeing a doctor, she was worried about Stefan. None of them had heard a word from him since he tried to exterminate the two Salvatore heirs. Elena had tried to get Sheriff Forbes to help Katherine out by tracking mysterious deaths around the area, knowing that if he was with Klaus, Klaus was probably feeding nearby. However, despite her friendship with Damon, Sheriff Forbes refused to help because Caroline compelled her not too. Caroline was pissed at Elena for excepting Damon's proposal and hurting Stefan's feelings. Elena also suspected that Caroline was withholding information on Stefan's whereabouts because she had a major thing for Klaus.  
As for Damon, he didn't want to find Stefan, he didn't need him in his child's life. But Damon wanted Elena to be happy, who wanted to help Katherine. So he agreed to find out where he was and send her to him.  
One very cold night he turned on the heat for Elena and tucked her into his bed. She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder watching Van Helsing and he'd carried her upstairs. He kissed her forehead and then kissed her small baby bump very gently.  
"I'll be back." He whispered, pulling out a piece of paper and writing that he and Alaric were going out for drinks.  
Truthfully, he and Alaric were going to Memphis where they'd heard rumors of strange disappearances and bodies drained completely of blood.  
Damon was not liking the looks of things, not considering he'd seen on the news that Tennessee had a serial killer on its hands, one that liked to shred their victims bodies. That sounded like only one person he knew...and it wasn't Klaus. Damon pushed that thought away, refusing to believe his baby brother would resort to that just because he lost his girlfriend to him. He and Alaric had to hurry, not wanting Elena left alone in the house for so long.  
Elena woke up to the letter, dissatisfied that her fiancé wasn't there to help her get ready for her doctors appointment. The appointment was hours away, but she wanted to look presentable, scared that Dr. Fell already resented the fact that Damon was too protective to let her see her before now. When she opened her closet she found yet another note taped to one of her shirts.  
"Dearest Warrior Princess, Don't you dare think about dressing up for this appointment. You need to be comfortable. Wear the shirt I bought you last week...you still haven't worn it. Don't you like it? Much love,  
Your Eternal Stud."  
She rolled her eyes and pulled the shirt he was talking about out. She hated that he had given her the pet names "Warrior Princess" and "Princess of Darkness" almost as much as she hated that he'd bought her this shirt. It was bright white with long sleeves and said "Say no to mistletoe" in Christmas Green letters just above where her belly would be. She was sure Damon was trying to be cute, there was no way he actually though she'd like it.  
"I'm marrying a dick..." She murmured to herself and she pulled the shirt on. She tugged on some dark wash jeans and groaned at how horrible she thought she looked.  
"Katherine I'm getting fat..." She whimpered to the other Doppelgänger, who had just entered the room. She snorted.  
"You and me both sister."  
Meanwhile, Damon and Alaric had just finished speaking with the police department, who he'd compelled to believe he was a detective. They'd agreed to show them the latest crime scene. When they got there Alaric took a shocked step back and Damon just shook his head in disappointment. Two girls. Were sitting on a couch, covered head to toe in blood and sitting as if their bodies were lopsided. Well...Damon supposed they looked that way because whoever had put the pieces back together did a rush job. He nudged one of the girls legs with his foot and sure enough, her head rolled right off her shoulders and into the floor. Damon sighed.  
"It's his signature...there's a reason they call him the Ripper." Damon whispered.  
"Stefan?" Damon nodded.  
"He feeds so hard he rips them apart and then feels remorse and puts them back together. It's the damnedest thing...definitely Stefan." Damon said in an almost amused tone. Detecting the whispering, the police chief turned to face them.  
"You know anything about this?"  
"You're going to forget we were ever here, I have a Princess holding down the fort at home and I mustn't keep her waiting." He said with a smirk as he compelled the man and led Alaric out of the house.  
"You'll never make it back in time for that appointment..." Damon's lips curled into an even wider smirk.  
"That's where you're wrong, Ric. See ya in about nine hours."  
Alaric tried to stop Damon, not wanting to drive Damon's car all the way to the boarding house but he barely got out a "Damon wait!" Before his friend had sped off.  
Back home, Katherine and Elena were quietly talking, having felt closer to each other since the Stefan incident. They were sitting on the edge of Damon's bed when something caught Katherine's eye.  
"What is this?" She walked over to the closet and saw all these markings and notes on a map.  
"It looks like Damon's been tracking Klaus behind our backs..." Elena said in a half offended tone. She didn't want to see Stefan...she was angry that for some reason Damon did, after all he'd done to them. Katherine was angry for a completely different reason. She DID want to see Stefan, and all these months of despair she'd gone through thinking she and Damon had been making no progress in finding him and here he had been tracking him this whole time! The only thing the two Doppelgängers knew was that when he got home, Damon Salvatore was a dead man. He got home with ten minutes to spear looking disheveled and drenched in sweat. He didn't know vampires could get tired running like that, but damn...he had almost overdone it. He figured he had time to take a shower and descended the stairs to his bedroom slowly. Katherine and Elena's ears pick up the sound and they move to the top of the stairs with their arms crossed. They gave each other an understanding glance and scowled down at Damon as he trudged toward them. Damon lifted his head to look at the two, and he gave Elena a gentle smile, happy to see her after such a long day. Elena's anger almost dissipated completely as she gazed into those intense blue eyes that held nothing in them put pure unadulterated love for her...until he smirked and said "Nice shirt."  
Her eyes grew wild and her temper flared and she flung him back down the stairs with a flick of her hand. She became even more infuriated as he rang out with laughter from the bottom if the stairs.  
"Don't pout, Princess, c'mon, it looks cute on you." Katherine rolled her eyes and turned to Elena.  
"I'll handle this." She stormed down the staircase and put Damon in a chokehold.  
"Why didn't you tell me you were tracking Klaus's victims?! All this tone you told me you had no luck and you knew exactly where he was! Why, Damon?!" She demanded, her hand clenching harder around his neck. Damon was in severe pain and couldn't get a gasp of breath. All Damon could manage to whisper out was "E-Elena..." Elena met the ex-lovers downstairs and sighed, hating to see him in pain.  
"That's enough, Kat." She said softly, rubbing her back in a circular motion. Katherine let him go, but never broke eye contact.  
"Why!" She shouted again.  
"Because they aren't Klaus's victims, Katherine, they're Stefan's! He's left body parts up and down the eastern seaboard!" He spat venomously, angry that he was being accused of any wrong doing when Stefan was the one murdering innocent people.  
"I've seen it happen before, he's flipped the switch, he's a full blown ripper!" He bellowed angrily, ranting and not really caring if he was scaring either of the girls in the process. They needed to hear it.  
"Damon stop." Elena said sternly, upset that he'd just made Katherine begin to cry.  
"No you stop, Elena. Stop helping Katherine look for him, stop waiting for him to come home, just stop!" This was the first time Damon had yelled at her since they started dating. Tears filled her eyes and she looked at him with a raw look of hurt and disgust.  
"You think I'm waiting for that bastard to come home?! He tried to hurt our child, Damon! I don't want him anywhere near me! YOU have been the one looking for him behind my back. Guess that shows how much you really care, huh? Was this baby even something you really wanted or just something you did because you felt sorry me?" She sobbed, not waiting for his answer and running to their bedroom. He immediately felt guilty as he heard the door slam.  
"That's what you do, Damon. You sabotage things..." Katherine whispered, shaking her head and walking in the opposite direction to Stefan's bedroom. Within ten seconds flat Damon was at his bedroom door knocking gently. He didn't want to provoke her more than he already had.  
"Elena...you're going to be late for your appointment." He reasoned, trying to coax her into calming down.  
"I don't care!" She cried. His heart was breaking, because of their blood bond from blood sharing he could feel the pain he'd inflicted on her...and he never wanted her to feel it ever again.  
"Elena...angel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, but you have to understand. He's my brother...I needed to know that he was okay. Don't think for one moment that it means I'm not angry at him for almost hurting the one thing that truly symbolizes the bond we share." He paused for a moment, taking a risk by slowly opening the door. Elena was curled up on their bed, crying into his favorite shirt. The black button up with every button missing...the one she had ripped open the night they'd made love on the hood of his Camero. This only made him ache more, walking to her and crawling up on the bed, taking her face in his hands and forcing her to look at him.  
"None of this was ever out of pity. I wanted this just as much as you did, maybe more. I've spent a century of my life wishing I had a family. Getting to start one with a girl like you...that was something I knew was out of reach, something I never deserved. You were the one to prove me wrong. Don't ever forget that." Elena shot into his arms, whimpering as their lips brushed against each others.  
"I'm sorry, Damon...I didn't mean to overreact I just..." He chuckled very softly and kissed her forehead.  
"It's just hormones, and besides, I'm kind of an ass." He said with a smirk. She giggled and nuzzled into his side.  
"Let's get going, we're already five minutes late." Damon said with a tender rub of her belly. She nodded and took his hand as he led her down to the front door.  
When they arrived at the doctors office, a doctor with medium length brown hair tied in a bun was pacing irritably.  
"What took you so long, Damon?" She said with a grimace. He sighed.  
"Don't start with me, Meredith. I just decided you were worthy of seeing my fiancée, don't make me change my mind." There was a strange tension in the room as the two eyed each other in a resentful way. Elena cleared her throat nervously and Meredith smiled, extending her hand.  
"I'm Dr. Fell, you must be Mrs. Salvatore? I've heard a lot about you." Her smile was fake but Elena shook her hand anyway.  
"Gilbert. I'm Elena Gilbert, Damon and I aren't married yet." She corrected. Meredith snorted bitterly.  
"I know, but sometimes I forget considering how possessive he is of you." One look from Damon shut her up and she pulled out some sort of device.  
"You're the first case of vampire pregnancy ever, so I'm not sure how this will all play out, but I'm going to try to get an ultrasound image okay?" Elena nodded and laid down on the examining table. Damon held her hand supportively as Meredith spread some cold blue goo over Elena's abdomen.  
"I should be able to tell the gender..." She trailed off absentmindedly as she rubbed the device along her stomach and looked hard at the screen. Damon was beginning to get excited, eager to see the child that was a perfect blend of he and his soulmate.  
"There's your baby." Meredith said mater-of-factly, pointing to a small little round head about the size of a fist and a tiny little body curled into the fetal position.  
"Of course this is a close up, he's a little smaller than this right now." Damon's eyes were glued to the screen but he mumbled out a "He?" Meredith smiled.  
"Yes. You're having a little boy."  
Elena let out a happy gasp and a single tear rolled down her cheek.  
"Ian..." She whispered. Damon kissed the top of her head happily and looked at Meredith almost timidly, as if he was afraid it would hurt his ego to ask.  
"Can we...have a Sonogram?" She just grinned, pleased he wasn't be sarcastic for once.  
"Of course, I'll print one right now." She left the room for a few moments and Damon lifted Elena off the table, cradling her in his arms, unable to get close enough to her.  
"I love you."


	11. The Birthday

**Author's Note: Elena just turned 18 in this chapter, I know in chapter six it said she was already 18 but that was a typo. Also, I'm sorry this is so late, I had to rewrite it three times do to it not saving -_- Enjoy**

The next morning was Elena's eighteenth birthday. Snow had freshly fallen, which was an excellent surprise, Elena loved the snow. When she awoke, Damon was by her side, his arms wrapped protectively around her body, his hands gently cradling her belly and his left leg draped over hers. He was peaceful, his face as content and beautiful as an angel. She nuzzled his neck softly; wanting to draw in more of his warmth…it was much too cold. His gorgeous cerulean eyes fluttered open and he grinned wolfishly at her.

"Good morning, Beautiful." Elena opened her mouth to respond but stopped as she noticed Damon's body tense around hers. Less than a moment later she realized why. There was a persistent kneading sensation tickling the inside of her abdomen. This was the first time either of them had felt him kick.

"Good morning to you too, Son." He chuckled, rubbing the spot where Sebastian was continuing his kick-boxing routine.

Elena beamed up at Damon, the look of pure love in his eyes made her heart swell. He was so much more than just her fiancé. He was her soul mate, everything she could have ever wanted. To her, he was perfect. He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers gently, his tongue dancing with hers. He pulled back and smiled.

"What's that face?" He smiled wider.

"What face?" She giggled and brushed his hair from his eyes.

"That face." He sighed and took one hand off her stomach to entwine his fingers in her long brown locks.

"I'm happy." The sincerity in his voice made her melt and she nuzzled him again, wishing she could somehow get closer.

"Happy birthday, Elena. You know…now that you're eighteen there isn't anything stopping us…marry me. Tomorrow." He cooed, nibbling at her ear. She blushed and shook her head.

"Don't you think we should wait until Ian is born?" He looked thoughtful for a few moments and tilted his head to the side.

"His name is Sebastian." He pouted. She rolled her eyes and they smirked at each other, each bursting into laughter.

"I guess you're right, he'd make a cute little ring bearer, huh?" Without waiting for her to respond he rolled to be completely on top of her, supporting his weight with his arms, so he wouldn't hurt the baby.

He tilted her head up with his finger, kissing under her chin, his teeth grazing down her neck to her breasts leaving love bites in their path. He reached back up to capture her lips, his hands palming her breasts, and slipping in her bra. He straddled her hips, mindful of their little bundle of course, and gently slid inside of her. She gasped at the fullness, grabbing fist-full's of his hair and pulling him deeper into her mouth. When they came up for air, she kissed down his strong muscular arms and he rocked beneath her hips. He moaned loudly, picking up his pace and kissing down her small pregnant belly and swirling his tongue in and around her naval. Her back arched, feeling the familiar warmth spreading throughout her groin. He felt her muscles beginning to clamp down around him, pushing him to the brink, but not before biting hard into her neck.

The biting and sucking sensation threw them both into a mind blowing orgasm, crying each other's names and collapsing. As Elena basked in her post-coital glow, Damon crawled out of bed and fetched her a blood bag. She lay there for a while, Damon's words from earlier were ringing in her ears.

"_Now that you're eighteen there's nothing stopping us…_" He was right, she was eighteen now, so what was to stop her from doing anything? She had been home schooled the last four months by Alaric because she was scared of the things people would have to say about Damon while she was seventeen. But now…she was an adult, no one would say anything hurtful now that she was an adult right? That meant she could go back to school! She took the blood bag from Damon and took a long sip, glancing at the clock. If she wanted to go to school she had twenty minutes to get there.

"Thanks for breakfast Damon, but I need to get ready…I'm going back to school today." Damon's smile fell and his features twisted with worry.

"Don't leave me…I just got you all to myself." She caressed the side of his face and gave him a small smile.

"Don't you think Caroline and the other's deserve to know why I've been MIA the last four months? Besides, I need to finish senior year, that's important for every teenage girl." He sighed.

"You don't owe anyone an explanation. Elena, I don't want to see you get hurt. Not everyone is going to be understanding, and this pregnancy has made you a little sensitive." She tugged a sweater on and kissed him lightly.

"I'll be fine, Damon. Now come on, I'll be late." He reluctantly took her hand and pulled his boxers on, walking her out to the car and opening the door for her before clambering into the driver's seat. She eyed him curiously as he put the key into the ignition.

"No pants?" A ghost of a smile crept onto his face.

"Thought I'd leave you with an image of what you'll be missing while you're at school." He said with an arrogant shrug. She narrowed her eyes at him but he just smiled at her and continued toward Mystic High. When they pulled into the parking lot, Damon leaned over and gave Elena a scorching kiss.

"See you this afternoon, Mrs. Salvatore." Elena turned crimson.

"What brought that on? We aren't married yet." He smiled gently at her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears.

"I'm just practicing." She grinned from ear to ear.

"I love you. Good bye, Mr. Salvatore." He gave her butt a quick playful slap and handed her her bag. She yelped and leaned in for one more kiss.

"I love you too; now go to class before you're late."

Elena walked in to first period history with about five minutes to spare. She tried hard to ignore the gaping and gawking from most of the students and sat down beside Adriana and Bonnie. All eyes were on her, but she quickly forgot when Adriana nearly tackled her.

"Oh my god, Elena, you're glowing! I am so happy for you! Please tell me it's a little girl!" She gushed. Elena laughed.

"It's actually a little boy, we're naming him Ian." She lied, leaving out the part that his first name was technically Sebastian. She rubbed her tummy lovingly as she thought about Damon.

_Your daddy would be so mad if he could hear me calling you that right now_. She thought with a giggle. Bonnie beamed at Elena, actually looking genuinely happy for her.

"I've never seen you like this, Elena. I know Damon and I don't always see eye to eye, but if he makes you this happy, then congratulations." She grinned, pulling Bonnie into a hug. They look their seats and Elena engaged in a very animated conversation with the Bennett Twins about going baby shopping and about all the things she and Damon needed to do to prepare the nursery. Both Bonnie and Adriana were surprised when Elena gushed to them about her budding friendship with Katherine and how she hoped she'd accompany them shopping. By the time the bell had rung they'd made arrangements for the five of them to have a girl's day at the mall, accidently leaving out and forgetting about Caroline. That is…until a certain angry blonde tapped Elena hard on the shoulder. Adriana and Bonnie quieted immediately, and Elena turned slowly to see the most bewildered and pissed off expression on her face ever.

"Wow, Elena, isn't this a nice surprise? How many more ways can you rip Stefan's heart out? It's bad enough hearing about that leech growing inside you from him, but then to know that you gave up your epic love for an evil self serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities?! It makes me sick. Out of all the people to pass his mongrel genes along, it had to be a good person like you!" She ranted. Elena began to shake, her anger boiling in her blood. The entire classroom was silent, including Alaric who just looked at the two girls with his mouth open.

"Excuse me?! Damon is the love of my life, and if that bothers you then you can stay the hell out of it! As a matter of fact, he is the only one of my so called friends that even remembered that it was my birthday! Might I add that it makes no sense that you think Damon is a psychopath when you're talking to bunny killing, body ripping Stefan behind my back right now! Shouldn't surprise me though, you've always been a back stabbing whore, why change now, Caroline?" She spat, her screaming causing Caroline to back up against the wall. Her wide eyes brimmed with tears and her bottom lip began to quiver, making Elena feel bad. She was getting ready to apologize when a boy from the back of the classroom shouted "Ooh, looks like the fat cow is also a big fat bitch." The boy sitting beside of him smirked, looking Elena in the eyes before agreeing.

"Totally…I feel bad for the dude that's stuck with her; I always knew Gilbert couldn't keep it in her pants." The entire class burst into a fit of laughter and Elena bolted out of the room, sobs ripping through her chest. Damon was right…he was always right! Why didn't she listen to him? She ran to the nearest bathroom and locked the door, sinking to the ground in a corner and pulling out her phone. She quickly dialed Damon's number, not wanting to be stuck in the bathroom with her humiliation all day. Damon picked up on the first ring, suggesting that he'd been waiting anxiously by the phone in case anything was to happen. That made Elena feel a little better, knowing she could always count on him.

"Elena? Princess, what's wrong?" Elena couldn't find her voice, all she could do was weep into the receiver and hope he understood the message. He did. His voice suddenly became very urgent.

"I'm coming to get you, stay put." Damon drove quickly, scared out of his mind at the possibilities. He knew he shouldn't have let her come, he knew she was danger prone. He hoped there wasn't any danger, that she was only upset, but he couldn't be sure with the desperate way she'd been crying. The minute he arrived on campus he could sense her, their blood bond allowed him to pinpoint exactly where she was, he could feel it.

Discovering that the door was locked, her kicked it down with one swift motion and gathered her in his arms. He sank to the floor, holding her against his chest and running his fingers through her hair, waiting for her to calm down.

"Hush now, baby, everything is okay. Tell me what's wrong; which bastard did this to you?" He asked in a concerned whisper. She sniffled and looked up at him, his soothing words sinking in.

"Caroline called Ian a leech and you a psychopath…then two boys called me a fat cow and a bitch. You don't think I'm any of those things do you?" She asked in a broken whisper. Damon's body went rigid, his eyes growing cold and angry, his teeth clenching.

"Never. You stay here and don't move until I tell you too, understand?" For once, Elena didn't argue. Damon kissed her forehead and then stormed into Alaric's classroom where the students were still in hysterics. Damon just stood and listened for a moment, hearing people murmur things like "have you seen a bigger slut?" and "I bet it's Donovan's…" all talking about his Elena. He stalked over to Caroline, who was already crying from Elena's outburst.

"Now you've done it, Barbie. You've finally pushed me too far. If you want to think I'm a psychopath that's fine by me, but I will not have you harassing my fiancée because you have some sort of twisted loyalty to Stefan. And may I make an announcement to the class that Elena Gilbert isn't the one you should be calling a slut, Caroline climbed into bed with me the second I offered which was about ten minutes after we met, just like she does with all the guys she dates." He growled loudly, causing Caroline to whimper. Alaric came up behind Damon and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Damon flinched away.

"Not now Ric, not when it comes to Elena. Now tell me, which two fuckers made her cry?" His voice was so icy that Alaric didn't dare withhold the information, his eyes darting to the two teenagers in the back of the classroom. Damon grabbed both boys up by their shirts and held them at eye level.

"Is that how you get your kicks? Making pregnant girls cry? If it is, do yourself a favor and find a different one to mess with, the Salvatore family is not a family you want to fuck with."

"S-She's not part of the Salvatore family." One boy choked out. Damon's grip on them tightened.

"Like hell she isn't part of the Salvatore family, she is carrying the Salvatore heir, whom might add will probably be head of the family by the time you have your own children, and which families run this town?"

"The founding families." The boy whispered.

"Then I'd be careful who I make enemies with." Damon hissed, dropping the boys on the ground and disappearing from the room. His anger dissipated as he walked back in the bathroom and once again gathered Elena in his arms, being careful as he stepped over the broken door and carried her down the hallway.

"I took care of it, Elena. You should listen to me more often." He scolded softly. She just nodded, a bit drowsy from all the crying.

"Is there anything I can do?" She looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" He smiled at the perplexed look on her face.

"To make you feel better?" _Oh_. Understanding washed over Elena's features and she smiled sweetly up at him.

"Play in the snow with me." Damon snorted.

"You want me to do what?" She grinned.

"My favorite thing about winter is snow ball fights and snow angels…please?" His lips twitched up into an amused smile.

"Maybe." It might not have sounded promising, but she could tell by the look on his face that she'd already won. She nuzzled him for the third time that day, curling up into an even smaller ball in his arms. She was surprised when she felt him lay her in a chair instead of in the passenger seat of his Camero. She blinked up at him and noticed they were in the office.

"A little compulsion is all it takes to make the principal think you're already my wife, and when he thinks that, I can legally pull you out of school. You don't need the stress, Elena, and neither does Sebastian. You can graduate with Alaric as your home school teacher or you cannot graduate at all. I'm not budging on this." He said firmly. Elena opened her mouth to protest, but Damon put his hand on her belly and rubbed. Immediately Sebastian started kicking again.

"He hasn't done that since this morning…" She said thoughtfully. Damon smirked.

"He's agreeing with me. He knows his daddy is trying to protect him." She looked into Damon's eyes and was silenced at what she saw there. Love, compassion, worry, stress, everything a father _should_ feel at a time like this. Her heart melted and she knew she couldn't fight him on this.

"Okay." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Good girl." And then he walked into the principal's office without even knocking. Elena shook her head, amused by his audacity.

He emerged from the office five minutes later with a satisfied smirk. He offered Elena his and laced his fingers with hers as the couple walked to his car. They drove in a comfortable silence for a while before he turned to her and whispered "Snow angels?" She grinned and shook her head.

"Especially after that guilt trip you laid on me at the school, they better be damn good snow angels." He gasped playfully and feigned hurt, making her giggle. When they pulled into the driveway at the boarding house they realized that Meredith's car was in their spot. Damon cursed under his breath and had to park in Stefan's spot. They assumed she was here seeing Katherine, who had not seen a doctor yet her entire pregnancy. Elena smirked there was a nice white coat of snow in their lawn for them to play in. Damon shook his head in amusement and watched as she sat down in the snow and laid back.

"Come on, Damon!" She beckoned, sounding more carefree than he'd heard her in a long while. He grinned and laid down beside her, their hands still clasped together. Damon thought they were down there to make angels, and was totally caught off guard when she used her free hand to hurl snow at him. She got him right between the eyes.

"Oh it's on, missy." He chuckled, letting go of her hand and forming a snowball of his own. He made sure to aim well and to use the softest snow, and he hit her thigh. She ran from him, flinging snow balls at his chest and then hiding behind the tree in their yard. He nailed her on the arm with one and trapped her behind the tree, until she somehow slid under his arm and bolted for the other side near the car. Damon threw one last ball and got close enough to grab her wrist and pull her into a kiss. The couple was thrown off balance by the amount of forced used and came crashing to the ground. They landed on a soft patch of snow, her on top of him and they laid there for a few moments gazing at each other.

"God I love you." He said breathlessly. She rubbed her nose against his and giggled.

"I love you too." Damon wove his arms protectively around her and was about to pull her into another kiss when Katherine came running from the house.

"Elena! Elena!" She sat up.

"What is it?"

"I'm having a girl!" Katherine squealed.


	12. Family

One month after Elena's birthday and it was finally time for Christmas! Now five months along, both Katherine and Elena's stomachs had grown an inch or two and Damon was absolutely adoring it. He loved everyone knowing Elena was his, and with her growing belly it was obvious.

While Damon and Elena were happily planning and decorating for their first Christmas together as a couple, Katherine was spending the holidays with her favorite Original…Elijah. Katherine hadn't seen Elijah since two weeks before she found out she was pregnant and she had been dying to see him again. She had called him the previous week to ask if he knew of Klaus's whereabouts, knowing if she could find Klaus then she could find Stefan. All Katherine wanted was the father of her baby back. Elijah had agreed to meet Katherine at the Gilbert Lake House, which Elena had given them permission to use.

Elijah showed up at sun down and froze as he entered the house. Katherine was sitting on the couch in the living room with her arms crossed over her stomach. He gazed at her a little too long, causing her to clear her throat uncomfortably.

"Are you going to stare at me all night or are you going to help me?" She snapped. He sauntered to the couch and took a seat beside her, his eyes narrowing and his lips pressing into a thin line.

"Give me one good reason why I should." She shrugged.

"Well, you agreed to come here and you slept with me last time I saw you, so I assumed that meant you liked me…isn't that a reason to help out a friend?"

"Katerina…I slept with you because I had spent the last week reminiscing about 1492 and then all of a sudden there you were…and you're hard to resist as it is." He said absentmindedly, as if he were deep in thought, and gently caressed her hair.

"When I woke up that morning I thought maybe you wanted to try again, but when I rolled over…you were nowhere to be found. I assume you went straight back to Stefan? And now you want me to help you get him away from my brother for your little…issue. Why me, Katerina?" He asked in an accusing tone.

"Elijah, you know Klaus better than anyone…you'd find him fastest. Please Elijah, I just want my daughter to have a father, I want to do things right this time." She tried to reason with him, but the anger was clear on his face and he stood up quickly, his body towering over her.

"How far along are you?" He asked, his voice dropped to a menacingly low tone.

"What does that have to do with –" Elijah cut her off by gripping her shoulders roughly.

"Answer me!" He sounded desperate and his emotions were raw, yet unreadable.

"Five months." She whispered. Elijah released her from his grip and just stared at her, the anger fading from his features and replaced by remorse. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before speaking.

"It's not Stefan's…is it? That's why you asked me to help you, you wanted me to figure it out?"He asked quietly, looking hard into her eyes. She sighed.

"Elijah I honestly don't know. I had sex with Stefan shortly after I had it with you…I just assumed it was Stefan's." He stood like a gentleman and held out his hand.

"Then we need to run a test. Listen, Katerina, if it's Stefan's I'll help you hunt him down…it shouldn't be that hard if he's with Klaus. I'll do it for old times' sake. And if it's mine, then I request your hand." Katherine's mouth dropped open and she stared at him in shock.

"M-My hand?" He nodded solemnly.

"I'm not from this era, Katerina, and neither are you. You know I'm old-fashioned. If I did this, I will make it right by making you my wife." She cocked her head to the side and a little bit of hurt filled her eyes.

"Only to make it right? Not because you love me? That's because you don't believe in love, right Elijah?" Her tone came across harsh and Elijah cupped her chin in his hand to reassure her.

"You're right…I didn't believe in love. Not until I met you. I've loved you for the last five hundred years, you just never returned it." He whispered, causing a blush to spread across Katherine's face.

"Kiss me." She uttered breathlessly, saddened when he backed away.

"Katerina, I'd rather have you take a Paternity test to get this out of the way, kissing can wait. And by the way, if this baby is indeed mine I expect you to stay away from Stefan Salvatore. I don't care if you love him, you'll be mine, do you understand me?" Katherine ignored the last part of Elijah's speech and addressed his main concern.

"We don't need a Paternity test. According to Damon, the Doppelganger can only conceive if she mates with her true soul mate. The only thing we need to do is find out which one of you that is, and the only way to do that is- "

"—by blood sharing." He said, completing her sentence. She nodded. Elijah didn't hesitate, biting his wrist and offering it to her. She took his wrist with trembling hands, part of her wishing the baby was his and part of her wishing it wasn't. She bit in and sucked gently, noting that his blood tasted sweeter than any blood that had ever touched her lips. Elijah bent down and bit her neck, causing her to moan and clamp down on his wrist harder.

Behind their eyelids a very brief vision began to unfold. There was Katherine, her long curly hair braided at the top, her green dress softly swaying in the wind; and there was Elijah, his hair longer and also curly, his face brighter and happier. It was just like they were back in England. He placed his hand in hers and kissed it very gently.

"It should have always been this way…Katerina. You're my soul mate." The vision ended and Elijah pulled back, waiting for Katherine to release his wrist. When she did he looked at her with a small smile and dropped to his knee.

"Marry me…you said your daughter needed a father, and I'm here to fill that role." Katherine would have said no to a marriage proposal from anyone, even Stefan under most circumstances, pregnancy or not, but the effects of the blood share were intoxicating, making her want to be as close to Elijah as possible.

"I'm not used to being tied down Elijah…I don't want to hurt you." She whispered, trying to make him understand that he didn't want to marry a girl like her.

"I know that, Katerina, trust me I do, but for the sake of our child…marry me. Do right by her." Katherine didn't say anything, fearing her voice would betray her, so she simply nodded. Elijah smiled and pulled her into a very gentle, long awaited kiss.

Damon and Elena finally had put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree and around the house and Damon pulled Elena to his side, smiling lovingly at her.

"This is the first Christmas I've celebrated since Stefan and I were little…I've missed this, but up until now I haven't had a family to share it with." He placed his hand on her belly.

"You've given me that back." He whispered, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. She clung to him, pouring her soul into the kiss, and him pouring his. When they pulled back he gently caressed her cheek and took her hand.

"I know Christmas isn't until tomorrow, but it's Christmas Eve…and I want to give you one present early." He tugged on her hand, leading her into the spare bedroom that was right bedside theirs. When he turned on the light Elena gasped. The room had been painted a light shade of blue and there was a white crib in the middle with satin sheets and a teddy bear mobile hanging over it. I A N was on the wall in block patterns, there was a changing table in one corner and a horde of stuffed animals and children's books in the other. She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with tears.

"It's beautiful." She whispered. He pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in her scent deeply and smiling in to her hair.

"I love you so much." He murmured, running his fingers gently through her brunette mane.

"I love you too." He led her over to the crib and pulled something from inside it.

"We got this on our doorstep this morning…read the note." It was a small stuffed blue bunny with a note tied to its arm.

"Merry Christmas from your Uncle Stefan" was written on the front and when she turned the note over there was something written for her and Damon.

"Heard it was a boy…congrats. Yes it's a bunny, figured I'd leave you with a little humor. Give Katherine a kiss for me, Brother." Damon sighed and shook his head sadly.

"He isn't too far gone, Elena. I was wrong, and maybe we can get him back before Katherine delivers." Elena smiled at him.

"That would be amazing, Damon. She needs him." Damon nodded and kissed her gently.

"We can be a family." He whispered.


	13. Christmas in Mystic Falls

The next day was Christmas and Damon and Elena were surprised that Katherine had brought Elijah over for Christmas Lunch at the boarding house. Elena had cooked all kinds of food, ranging from a Christmas Turkey to the same chili that Damon had helped her make for the Founder's Party. Damon kissed Elena passionately and took her hand, swaying into a dance with her in the kitchen.

"The food looks delicious baby…will you cook for me all the time when we get married?" He asked gently, twirling her around as he did so. She giggled.

"Of course, Mr. Salvatore, what is your favorite thing to eat?"

"You." He said huskily, a smug smirk spreading across his face. She flushed and slapped him playfully.

"Damon!" She chortled, grinning at him.

"Fine," He sighed with a playful pout.

"I guess my favorite human food would be hamburgers, fries, and pickles. Lots of pickles. I'm the typical male when it comes to food." Elena crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Pickles are nasty…" His eyebrows shot up in amusement.

"I knew you weren't fond of pickles, Elena, but I thought all pregnant women ate pickles and ice-cream." He teased. She gagged.

"Oh god, Damon, please shut up." He chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"Sorry." He said with a bat of his eyelashes, his smirk never vanishing.

"You two lovebirds ready yet? Scarlett is starving." Katherine grumbled as she sauntered into the kitchen.

"Scarlett?" Katherine smiled and patted her baby bump.

"That's what I'm calling her."

"Scarlett Nina." Elijah murmured, joining them in the kitchen and placing his hand on the small of Katherine's back. Damon and Elena exchanged nervous glances and shooed the other two vampires out of the kitchen so they could bring the food out. They laid the spread on the dining room table and they all ate in silence for a few minutes. It was getting awkward, Damon and Elena eyeing Elijah suspiciously and Katherine nervously looking down at her hands. Damon finally broke the silence, clearing his throat loudly.

"So…what's my _favorite _original doing at my dinner table for Christmas lunch?" Damon asked sarcastically, his eyes growing wide with demanding inquiry.

"My apologies, am I bothering you and the Mrs.?" Damon put a protective arm around Elena and kissed her temple.

"As a matter of fact—"

"We're happy to have you, Elijah." Elena interrupted, shooting Damon her best '_behave yourself' _look. Damon rolled his eyes and took a bite of turkey, trying his best not to argue with her on Christmas. He was just happy she hadn't corrected Elijah on the whole 'Mrs.' thing, it honestly hurt his feelings sometimes that she felt the need to make it known she was still a Gilbert. Katherine smiled gratefully at Elena and then looked anxiously at Elijah who gave her a slight nod of his head.

"Damon, Elena, I have something to tell you." Damon's eyes narrowed in suspicion and Elena cocked her head curiously to the side.

"What is it, Kat?" She asked with genuine interest. She sighed and Elijah squeezed her hand in comfort, which he was holding under the table.

"Scarlett isn't Stefan's daughter…she's Elijah's." She murmured in a half-whisper. Damon choked on the blood he was drinking, nearly spitting it on his plate of turkey and chili. Elena looked open-mouthed at him and nearly flinched at the anger she saw etched into his perfect features.

"Well isn't that perfect! You really are a slut, Katherine! And to think that for just one minute I let myself believe you had changed. Stefan doesn't need this, I have Elena and Elijah has you…what else can be taken from him?! I was going to wait to give you this until tonight, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore." He yelled, getting up from the table and fetching something from the next room. He flung it at Katherine. It was a stuffed hot pink doe with a light pink baby fawn with white spots attached to its hip. The doe had "Katherine" written in white cursive letters on its side and on the fawn the name "Mary" was written in the same lettering. There was a note tied to the Doe's leg that said "Tell her I love her…my Mary." Damon's eyes stung with angry tears as he watched Katherine's face contort into a look of pure shock.

"He left that when he left the gift for Sebastian. Stefan doesn't have the right to name his daughter Mary. If Elena had a girl I was going to call her Miranda Mary, after both our mothers…it pisses me off that he feels like he has the right after the way she died." He spat. Elena gasped, Damon was bringing up stuff he hadn't even spoken to _her _about before…did Damon resent Stefan for his mother's death?

"But Stefan has been through hell, a hell that I have put him through and now he's back to being a ripper. I was going to let it go, Katherine. I was going to let him name her Mary, because I felt guilty! But here you are, ruining everything he had left! So how about you take Elijah and your precious little _Scarlett _and get the fuck out of my house!" Katherine burst into tears and looked up at Elena for backup but Elena just looked down at her feet. There was no way she could take up for Katherine on this…not when Damon was hurting so bad. Elijah came at Damon, but Elena quickly got in between the two.

"Get out of my way, Elena." He growled.

"Leave him alone." She pleaded quietly. Elijah took Katherine's hand and pulled her to the door, eager to distance himself from Damon. However, when he pulled the door open, none other than Stefan Salvatore was standing on the porch. He took one look at Katherine and smiled apologetically, getting on his knees and offering her a bouquet of roses that he'd had behind his back.

"Merry Christmas, Katherine. I was going to stay away but…I decided Mary needed a father." Katherine wiped her tears on her sleeve and stared down at him.

"You're a little late Stefan, and her name is Scarlett." She said coldly, walking around him and toward Elijah's car. Stefan dropped the flowers and walked after her.

"I know I hurt you, but please…give me a second chance. Katherine, I love you." She began to cry again, the guilt eating her from inside out. She put her hands on the sides of Stefan's face, caressing him gently.

"I love you so much, Stefan. And I'm so sorry…but, the baby is Elijah's. She's not yours." She whispered. Stefan's face twisted into confusion.

"How do you know?"

"We blood shared, Stefan. He's my soul mate." The confusion quickly turned into rage.

"You knew all along didn't you?!" Katherine's mouth fell open at his accusation.

"No! I found out last night!" Stefan wasn't listening, his hands clenching into fists.

"And your little best friend knew it too, didn't she?" He yelled, running back into the house after Elena. Katherine called after him.

"Don't hurt her!" But her plea was ignored. Elena was inside holding Damon, who was gently running his fingers through her hair with his face nuzzled into her neck, a sign that he was very upset. It sent Stefan over the deep end seeing how she was comforting him.

"You selfish little bitch." He murmured for the second time, the first being the day they broke up. He pulled Damon away from her, flinging him across the room. Damon sat up in surprise, the action catching him off guard. Damon stood to help Elena, who was being cornered by Stefan, but he wasn't quick enough. Stefan yelled "I hope you're watching Damon…this is what I feel like, what it feels to have everything taken from you!" and used his fangs to bite a deep gash into Elena's stomach. She screamed, falling to the floor clutching her baby bump and Stefan sped to the door, turning back once to look at Damon. Damon's eyes were filled with horror and anguish as he ran to her.

"Here's to our eternity of misery…brother." And just like that…he was gone.


	14. Stranger Than You Dreamt It

**Author's Note: The first part of this chapter was inspired by Stranger Than You Dreamt It from Phantom of the Opera, so that's where the italicized lyrics came from. Enjoy!**

There he was, her raven haired angel. Standing behind a tomb stone in the graveyard, a crow perched on the top. Crystal blue eyes stared deeply at her as he emerged from the shadows and offered his hand.

_I remember there was mist. Swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake. _

_There were candles all around and on the lake there was a boat._

_ And in the boat there was a man._

_ Who is that shape in the shadows? Whose is the face in the mask?_

She walked toward him, not knowing who this mystery angel was or what he wanted but she felt drawn to him like a magnet. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her close to his body, baring sharp incisor teeth and grazing them along her neck. Be left a trail of kisses before releasing her to grab something from the top of a coffin sitting at an unmarked grave. It was a silver goblet filled with a red liquid as mysterious as the stranger. He gently placed the goblet to her lips and tilted her head back with his hand, pouring the liquid into her mouth. The taste was unmistakable, but she could not find it within herself to flee.

"My blood." He explained as he forced another sip into her mouth. He placed the goblet back on the coffin lid and titled her neck, running his icy fingers down her vain, making her shiver. A low groan escaped the angel's lips.

"Yes, I do believe you'll make an excellent mate." Fear shot down her spine, crippling her. She could neither scream nor run, but there was part of her, the part desperately attracted to this beautiful predator, that didn't want too.

_Fear can turn to love. _

_You'll learn to see to find the man behind the monster._

_This repulsive carcass who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty._

_Secretly…_

_Secretly…_

Elena awoke with a jolt and a shrill cry. She looked down, her stomach had healed but there were sharp pains shooting through it. She was in the hospital and Damon was wiping her sweaty forehead with a damp cloth. His eyes were red from where she assumed he'd been crying and worry was plastered on his face. He looked sadly down at her.

"Bad dream?" She shook her head.

"Not exactly bad…just…ugh!" She yelled through the sentence as there was another sharp pain in her abdomen. She shot Damon a panicked look.

"Why am I in so much pain? My body healed itself…" Damon's eyes looked tortured and his eyebrows furrowed.

"You're in labor, Elena. When Stefan bit you…he tore through the amniotic sac around the baby and your water broke." He meant for it to come out louder but his voice was nothing but a broken whisper. Tears sprang to Elena's eyes and she looked up to find Dr. Fell and Bonnie and Adriana.

"Will he make it?" She choked out. Meredith shook her head.

"If your labor progresses and he's born today…no. Not many children would survive birth at five months. That's why Damon called in the Bennett Twins, they're trying to find a spell that will reverse the breaking of your water and if they can do that your labor will stop." Adriana and Bonnie were frantically flipping through their grimoires and Damon got up, crawling into the hospital bed and cuddling into her side. Elena could sense his worry, and she instinctively ran her fingers through his hair to calm him down. He gently caressed her belly as she had another contraction.

"Sebastian, you need to listen to Daddy. Mommy isn't ready for this right now, you need to stay put for a little while longer, okay?" He leaned down and kissed the bump tenderly, allowing a single tear to roll down his cheek.

"I can't lose you." Damon was breaking on the inside. This had been his shot to have a family again and he'd failed. He'd failed as a husband for not getting to Elena quicker and most of all he failed as a father. He failed because he let his brother cause harm to the most precious gift he'd ever been given. Damon blanched as Elena let out another blood curdling scream and his hands gently gripped the baby bump.

"Sebastian please…you can't be this early." Damon knew Sebastian couldn't hear him, and he knew it would do no good even if he could, but the begging was escaping his lips anyway. Despite the pain, Elena held Damon tightly too her, trying her best to sooth him, it was killing her to see him in so much anguish.

The dream drifted back into her thoughts and she briefly wondered if her subconscious had been trying to reassure her that after everything that had happened, Damon was her mate and he always would be. Part of her had been half scared when she passed out that their relationship wouldn't survive if Ian didn't.

"Please don't leave me." Damon whimpered to her stomach, pulling her from her thoughts. Those words were all the reassurance she needed. He loved them both with all his heart.

"I found it!" Bonnie screamed, causing Damon to shoot up excitedly. She laid her hands on Elena's tummy and concentrated very hard. Her nose began to drip blood and her knees went weak.

"Adriana…h-help me." Adriana channeled her energy to Bonnie and the two closed their eyes, chanting loudly and causing the lights in the hospital to flicker. Both sisters collapsed to the floor and Dr. Fell and Damon carried them to the chairs in the corner of the room. Dr. Fell used the ultra sound device to get a better look at the baby and sure enough, the amniotic sac was back in tact ad Elena's contractions had stopped. Damon smiled shakily.

"I-Is that it? He's okay?" Meredith nodded.

"He seems to be perfectly fine…except he has a fang wound in his left arm but that should be healed by the time he's born…he'll probably have a scar. Other than that your baby is going to be just fine." Elena let out a sigh of relief, not realizing she'd been holding her breath.

"Thank god." Damon picked Elena up out of the hospital bed and hugged her tight to his chest.

"I love you so much!" Damon nuzzled his face down into her sweet smelling hair.

"I love you too." Bonnie and Adrianna sat up slowly, their heads spinning.

"Thank you." He said with a grateful smile, his eyes twinkling with utter relief and happiness.

Later that evening when Damon took Elena home he helped her into the house very carefully, and walking her to the chair in the living room.

"We still need to finish Christmas." He said gently, turning on the fireplace.

"Let's save that for in the morning Damon. I just want to revel in the fact that my child isn't dead tonight." Damon pulled her into his arms and began to sway the same way they had earlier in the kitchen.

"You have no idea how happy I am that he's okay…when I thought we were losing him I—" His voice cracked and Elena laid her palm against the side of his face.

"Shhh, he's fine. We're going to be a family in four months and everything will be perfect. I promise." He twirled her around, pulling her into a heated and needy kiss when he pulled her back into him. He raked his teeth across her bottom lip and she moaned, gently pushing her tongue into his mouth. When they pulled away she smirked at her for the first time in what felt like ages and she sighed.

"What would you like to do now, Mr. Salvatore?" He rubbed her back gently and looked as if he was contemplating something before his grin returned.

"I want to throw you in my bed and never let you leave." Her breath hitched in the back of her throat and she snaked her leg around his hip.

"Then do it." Damon's eyes glazed over and he stared into her brown orbs with more love and longing than she'd ever seen there before. He kissed the back of her hand gently.

"As you wish, Princess."


	15. Vervain Voodoo

Damon awoke about an hour before Elena, getting the opportunity to watch her sleep. She was so peaceful and relaxed…something that had seemed so foreign to him the previous day. Elena was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, even more beautiful than Katherine somehow. There was something about her that had always distinguished her from Katherine, though it took him a while to realize it. He gently caressed her face with the back of his hand, hardly believing he'd get to wake up to this every day for the rest of eternity.

Elena was having that dream again, so much mist and so many crows…the mysterious red liquid and the dark blue eyed figure…her Damon. She stirred, her eyes opening slowly as she felt his hand on her face and a familiar fluttering sensation in her abdomen. She smiled.

"He's kicking." Damon immediately placed his hand on her tummy, breaking out in a grin as he rubbed it. Elena grinned back, so happy to see Damon without a care in the world. It was always refreshing to see that side of him. The side of him he only shared with _her_.

"Damon…can I ask you something?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Anything." She smiled.

"I've been having this dream…and I wanted to ask you if it meant anything." Damon sat up, his forehead creasing with slight worry but his eyes alight with curiosity.

"I'm all ears, baby girl." He said with his signature smirk. She giggled and sat up too, lacing her fingers between his.

"It's you and me in a cemetery. It's very foggy and there are lots of crows looming around the grave markers. Then you make me drink your blood from a goblet and you bite me on the neck…your thoughts?" Damon was completely taken back, his mouth open and his eyes wide.

"A covenant." He whispered. Elena shot him a questioning look.

"What's that?" Damon sighed, a confused smile crossing his lips and he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"A vampire's covenant ceremony is something that hardly any vampires do anymore…I can't believe you dreamt of it. It's when a vampire takes his mate onto sacred ground such as a graveyard and shares blood with them. When two vampires drink one another's blood in a scared or holy place it creates a bond. A deeper bond than anything you could ever imagine, far deeper than the blood bond you and I currently have because of the blood sharing. It ties their souls together for all of eternity, and you'll never be able to be without each other. It's very romantic but it has its drawbacks…like if the person you have this bond with dies you have to suffer an eternity of pure misery and anguish, never being able to fill the missing half of you the person left behind."

Elena was quiet for a few moments, letting all the information sink in.

"Why don't vampires do it anymore?" Damon snorted.

"Because idiots abused it. Some vampires tried to perform the covenant with humans, killing them afterwards to make them vampires and blindly thinking it would have the same effect. Needless to say, it didn't. The people they turned ended up being sired to them, which is not the same thing at all." Excitement bubbled up inside of Elena and she inched closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Can we have one? After we get married?" His lips twitched up into a loving smile.

"Are you sure you want to? I mean, that is irreversible, Elena. You'd never be able to get rid of me." He teased with a chuckle. She leaned her forehead against his and met his gaze with an adoring look in her eyes.

"Of course I'm sure. It will always be you, Damon. Only you." She whispered. Those words were as intoxicating to Damon as the finest bourbon. His eyes fluttered closed and he kissed her roughly, hungry for her love, her affection.

"You have no idea what that means to me, Elena. I'll take you out to the cemetery on our wedding night…and then you'll be mine in every way possible." His voice clearly showed her his longing, proved to her that she was the first person in all his years to ever love him like this.

Suddenly he scooped her up in his arms and took her out in the living room to finish up Christmas. The couple opened their gifts and laughed with each other, forgetting their worries and kissing under the mistletoe. Only one thing could have made that Christmas more pleasant…more prefect. Damon's eyes darkened sadly as he gazed at the stockings he'd hung above the fireplace back when they'd first decorated for Christmas. His was in the middle; Elena's was hanging to the right of his…and on the left was the untouched stocking that read "Stefan". Katherine's was on the other side of Stefan's and was also untouched; Damon had filled both her stocking and Stefan's with baby gifts. Elena caught the unreadable expression on Damon's face and she gently rubbed his arm.

"What's wrong?" He sighed and leaned back against the wall, tearing his gaze from the lonely socks.

"This was supposed to be a family Christmas, Elena. I was supposed to spend it with my fiancée, my brother, his girlfriend, and our children. Katherine ruined everything." His voice grew hostile as he spoke her name.

"Damon…we have to forgive them both." Elena said quietly. Damon's head snapped around to look at her, his eyes simmering.

"Stefan almost murdered our child, Elena! How are we supposed to come back from that?! And Katherine…I don't even want to think about her." He spat. She gently stroked his face and snuggled closer to him.

"You killed my brother, Damon. If it hadn't been for his ring he wouldn't have come back. But I forgave you, didn't I? Listen, what Stefan did was awful. But he's your brother and he's hurting. He needs you, baby." The anger seemed to drain from his features as he thought about it for a moment.

"I know," He whispered.

"But I kind of already got back at him." He said with an evil smirk. Elena rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh god…what did you do?" His smirk simply spread.

"Adriana might have cursed him just a tiny bit." He murmured sheepishly.

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

I wondered aimlessly through Mikaelson Manor, trying to pretend like Katherine wasn't there. I had turned my emotions off, I was no longer in pain, no longer angry, I was numb. But I still hated looking at her, a giant reminder of _why_ I was numb. I guess not even a vampire can ever truly turn off all their emotions, can they? I was just a waste of precious space, I shouldn't have completed the transition in 1864…I wasn't worth keeping around. Katherine and Elijah were in the foyer making preparations for Scarlett's birth; Apparently Elijah needed to have a plan written out four months in advance, the freak. I was looking for Klaus, whom I now presumed was in his bedroom since he wasn't with his brother.

I had begun to climb the stairs to his room when my hand grazed the banister. Searing pain shot through my hand where I'd touched it and I yelped, the pain catching me off guard. Curious, I ran my other hand along the banister.

_Fuck! _

It was literally burning through my skin! I ran to the bathroom to slash some water on it but the sink handles burned too. The water finally came on and it soothed my wounds for a while…until I tried to drink it to cool myself off. It blistered going down my throat and I began coughing blood. Klaus bolted into the bathroom at the sounds of my screaming.

"What the devil's going on in here, mate?"

"V-Vervain!" I sputtered, trying to grab on to him but failing as he also burned me and I fell to the floor. Klaus tasted the water…nothing.

"Why would there be vervain in my water supply mate? I'm a hybrid." I ignored Klaus, screaming in agony as my skin sizzled on the floor. Klaus grinned wide.

"Ooh, looks like you've been cursed, Stefan. I can help, you know. I know plenty of witches. But…I'll require something from you in return. I looked at Klaus in a desperate plea, reaching for him as if I were an infant.

"I'll do anything!" A deep evil chuckle ripped through Klaus's chest and he pulled Stefan to his feet.

"I look forward to it, brother."


	16. Scarlett Nina

Two months later at month seven, Damon was preparing to take Elena for her monthly doctor's visit. Elena had been begging him to make sure Katherine went, claiming to be concerned for Scarlett. Damon was almost positive though that Elena just missed the company of the other Doppelganger. He finally broke down and dialed her number after Elena pitched a fit the night before the appointment, breaking down crying on him.

"Katherine, please come over. Elena misses you like hell and I really need to talk to you about some things."

"Damon, the last time I saw you you screamed in my face. Forgive me if I don't want to come over." She was obviously irritated, but Damon was determined to please his princess, unable to stand the tears.

"Come on Kat, please? Not for me, but for Elena. She's getting closer and closer to the end of this pregnancy and it scares her. It would make her feel a lot better if she had you to go through this with." Katherine was quiet for a moment before she finally sighed.

"Fine, if Elijah will let me leave the house for once I'll come be there for my Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter. I owe her that much." Damon smirked.

"The old man being annoying?" He could practically hear her roll her eyes.

"God, you have no idea. I'll be there in five." Damon bounded over to Elena who was sitting uncomfortably in a chair and trying to somehow sooth her aching back.

"Elena, Katherine's coming over." Her entire face lit up.

"Really?!" Damon nodded and Elena practically shot out of her chair and into his arms.

"Thank you so much!" He nuzzled her gently.

"You're welcome, Princess." Sebastian kicked hard and Damon could fill it on his own stomach since it was pressed against Elena's in the embrace. He chuckled and rubbed it gently.

"He's started responding to your voice." Elena noted, recalling that Sebastian always made himself known with his hardest kicks whenever Damon was addressing her. He bent down and kissed the bump gently.

"Did you just want Daddy to talk to you?" He asked, earning another kick. He kissed it again and murmured 'I love you' before there was a knock on the door. Damon got up and quickly let Katherine in, followed by Elijah.

"Overprotective much?" Damon murmured.

"As if you're any better, Salvatore." Elijah mumbled back. The two sneered at each other while Katherine and Elena hugged and squealed with each other.

Once they got to Dr. Fell's office, Damon and Elijah took their seats and the two Petrova's hopped on opposite sides of the examining table. While Meredith was examining Elena and preparing the ultrasound Katherine whined to Elijah "I'm thirsty." He went to go get her something from the drink machine and Damon took the opportunity to talk to Katherine.

"You should really apologize to Stefan, I'm scared that he has seriously gone off the deep end…he hasn't answered any of my phone calls."

"I can't Damon." She said matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"All I know is that Elijah told me not too." Damon stared at her for a few moments and then Elijah came back in with a Gatorade for Katherine. Damon backed off and moved toward Elena so he could get his first view in a while of Sebastian. He smiled proudly.

"He's getting so big." Elena nodded and grasped his hand firmly, and he could tell she was getting a little anxious about the next two months ahead of them. He squeezed her hand in comfort and kissed the top of her head.

"You'll be an excellent mother, Elena." She blushed and Meredith moved to get an ultrasound for Katherine too. Damon tried to process Katherine's words as he looked at the image of his would-have-been-niece.

_All I know is that Elijah told me not too._

What did that even mean? Since when did Katherine listen? Something was going on with her and Damon was determined that he would find out.

When they arrived back at the boarding house each couple had an updated Sonogram and the two girls were happily fawning over them and how cute their babies already looked. Damon poured Elijah and himself some whisky and the two sat near the fireplace, watching their women adoringly. They sat in silence for a while, sipping the beverage and Damon just chuckling to himself quietly as he watched Elena. Elijah on the other hand was rather distant, as if his thoughts were somewhere far away. Very suddenly Elijah murmured that he was going to get Katherine some orange juice and Damon just nodded, too engrossed in being the doting fiancé he'd become to get suspicious.

Once in the kitchen, Elijah poured the glass of OJ and then slipped in 45 milliliters of Pitocin. Once he walked back out Katherine beamed at him.

"Elijah! How did you know I was thirsty?" He smiled at her.

"You're always thirsty, Katherine. You're a vampire. I figured liquids would tide you over until I compelled us dinner, you know I don't like you drinking from blood bags…it isn't the best source of nutrition for Scarlett." She just rolled her eyes at him and took the orange juice, taking a long sip. Elijah smirked and walked back over to Damon, resuming his whisky sipping. They once again sat in silence until Damon was finished with his beverage.

"Shit…this stuff never lasts long enough. I'm going to fetch the bottle; we can just drink from it." He said to Elijah with a grin, walking into the kitchen. Damon grabbed his already open bottle and began to head back to the living room when something caught his eye. Elijah had recklessly left the Pitocin container on the counter.

"What the hell…" He murmured, picking it up and reading the label.

"Used to induce labor, should only be administered by a medical professional."

_Shit!_

Right about the time he read it he heard Katherine scream. He ran back into the room to find her in the floor clutching her stomach, Elena hovering over her.

"Elena, did you drink any of the orange juice?!" Damon demanded. She shot him a confused look.

"No, why?" He sighed in relief and picked Katherine up from the floor.

"I'll explain later, we need to take Katherine to the hospital." Damon carried her as fast as he could to his car, his arm suddenly feeling damp.

"Oh god my water just broke…" Damon's face contorted into disgust but he buckled her into the front seat of his car anyway.

"I can tell." He mumbled, pulling Elena to his side and helping her into the back seat. Elijah walked out to join them but Damon drove away before anything could be said.

"Damon you left Elijah, he has to be there! He's the father!" Katherine wailed as Damon stepped on the gas.

"He put Pitocin in your drink, Katherine. I don't know why and frankly I don't care, but Elijah is up to no good."

Katherine looked at him in disbelief but couldn't argue when a contraction hit her hard. She screamed and Damon almost wrecked.

"Elena, please calm her down, or we're going to hit someone." He hissed, unable to concentrate with emotions running so high in the car. Elena soothed Katherine as best she could from the backseat until they were back at Dr. Fell's office for the second time that day.

Damon banged on the door loudly, yelling Meredith's name urgently. Elena was helping Katherine walk, more screams escaping her lips as she doubled over and nearly collapsed again.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Dr. Fell asked, finally opening the door.

"Katherine's in labor, we need you to deliver the baby." Meredith ushered the trio inside and locked the door. Damon picked her up, laying her on the examining table until Meredith could wheel in a bed. Once in bed and hooked to a monitor to keep track of the baby, Meredith spread Katherine's legs and checked her cervix.

"Good lord, how long did you wait to bring her here, she's already seven centimeters dilated!"

"She's been in labor for five minutes; her ass-hat of a fiancé slipped her Pitocin." Dr. Fell shook her head.

"He must have given her an awful large dose…jeez." Katherine screamed some more and Damon sort of backed into a corner while Elena stood by and held Katherine's hand.

"Breathe honey." Elena cooed as Katherine began to cry a little, the pain becoming almost unbearable. It didn't take her long at all to progress to ten centimeters.

"I want you to push hard, okay?" Dr. Fell instructed. Katherine nodded and pushed with all her strength, a few of the bones in Elena's hand actually cracking. Elena whimpered but withstood it, knowing they'd heal fast and that Katherine needed her.

"Once more, one, two, three." On three, Katherine let out an ear-splitting scream and a tiny little cry filled the room. Once Damon decided it was safe, he approached the three women who were all surrounding a squealing little blob. Once he got a closer look he could see Meredith wrapping it in a pink blanket and handing it to Katherine.

"Look, Damon." Elena breathed after everything had quieted down. He stepped a little closer, wondering why Katherine and Elena were staring open mouthed at the little baby girl. It was then that he noticed it. She had light honey colored hair, his lips, his nose, the same hazel eyes and she even had the same little brown mole on her right cheek. Scarlett looked _exactly _like Stefan.

"If Stefan had been born a girl…that'd be him." Damon whispered in shock. Katherine shook her head.

"I don't understand…" Then all the pieces clicked in Damon's mind.

"Katherine…I think Elijah's been compelling you…"

**STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW**

I sat in front of Klaus, going over his plan in my head. Switch on or switch off, did I really have the ability to do this to my brother? It isn't like I had a choice…Klaus had broken my vervain curse, I owed him.

"I need time, Klaus. Let me wait until my nephew is born." Klaus nodded.

"Take as long as you need Stefan, but you _will_ get this done for me, understand?" I nodded back to him and then turned my head towards the door, someone was coming. Elijah walked through the door with a wide smirk on his face.

"It's done, brother. Katherine had the baby…she's free to do what we please with." Klaus laughed manically.

"Excellent." I wasn't sure what they wanted Katherine for…but one thing was for certain, I hope they got the bitch good.


	17. Emotions off or on?

**Author's note: Stefan and Scarlett's eyes are not Hazel they are green. I am sorry for the typo, his eyes confused me xD Also, Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year to you all!**

Damon carried Katherine to the boarding house and Elena carried Scarlett. Damon laid her in Stefan's bed and Elena handed her her baby. Then she and Damon sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating what they should do.

"Katherine you have to blood share with Stefan. It's the only thing I can think of…you were obviously compelled to believe you and Elijah were soul mates, this is the only way to prove that the vision you saw was fake. I mean come on, look at her. That is Stefan's daughter beyond a shadow of a doubt." Elena urged gently. Katherine sighed in frustration.

"But I'm compelled, I'm not allowed to be near Stefan, remember?" Damon thought for a moment but his thoughts were interrupted by Scarlett's shrill crying.

"She's probably hungry." He was back in ten seconds flat with a bottle of heated blood, which he tested on his hand to check the temperature before gently nudging her lips with the nipple. She looked at the bottle for a few seconds, as if hesitating, and Damon gently rubbed her face.

"Go on, Sweetheart. You'll like it, I promise." She latched on and drank the blood hungrily as Damon handed the end of the bottle to Katherine and sat back on the edge of the bed. Elena beamed at him.

"That was so fatherly." Damon smirked and winked at her.

"Just looking out for my niece." He then sighed, resuming his thoughts about Katherine's compulsion.

"Well, how about I just dagger the bastard? Nothing I haven't done before. Once he's down the compulsion should wear off and we can find my baby bro and show him his daughter…hopefully that will bring him back to us." Katherine grimaced.

"Sounds great except for the part where _you _dagger him. You can't, Damon, none of us can. It would kills us. Now that Elena's a vampire too we really don't have anyone that could—" Damon smirked and shook his head.

"We have a teacher with an eternity ring…what more could we ask for?" Elena beamed.

"Alaric!"

"Exactly." Damon said with a satisfied smirk, petting Elena's hair.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Katherine said cautiously, cradling Scarlett closer to her as she wriggled in her arms. Damon glared at her.

"Alaric has to do this, Katherine. I need my brother back and I won't stop until that happens. We need to find Scarlett a baby sitter, we're going to need your help."

"I bet Bonnie will do it." Damon nodded and handed Elena her phone. Elena discussed when Bonnie needed to come over while Katherine looked over Scarlett's unfilled-out birth certificate.

"I can't name her Scarlett Nina…can I? Not knowing that Stefan wants to name her Mary…" Damon shrugged.

"Marriage is about compromise. I know you two aren't married but the same rules apply…Elena and I had to do it. I wanted to name our son Sebastian and she wanted to name him Ian, so his name will be Sebastian Ian. Call her Mary Nina or Scarlett Mary, problem solved." Katherine cocked her head to the side.

"Elena really has changed you…hasn't she?" Damon shrugged again.

"I never changed Katherine; you just didn't know a good thing when you had it." He said quietly. Katherine flinched but decided not to respond. She handed Scarlett to Damon and he gently held her to his chest, watching as Katherine grabbed a pen from Stefan's bedside table. In beautiful cursive script she wrote Scarlett Mary Salvatore on the certificate. Damon nodded in approval at the name choice and then fawned over his niece, who was making little mewing noises after finishing her bottle.

"Should I sign as Katherine Pierce or Katherine Salvatore?" Damon's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"That depends…do you plan on marrying my brother?" Katherine bit her lip.

"I don't know." Damon shook his head.

"You should."

"I'm not one to be tied down, Damon. You of all people should know that." She reminded him with a sigh.

"And yet you agreed to marry Elijah? Was it compulsion or did you really mean it, Kat? I think you seriously need to get your priorities in check." He spat.

"She is my only priority." She said, gesturing to Scarlett. Damon sighed and rocked Scarlett gently.

"Then prove it." Katherine got tears in her eyes.

"I can't, Damon. Not this way…I can't commit to Stefan until I'm sure I won't hurt him." Damon nodded and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I understand, do what you have to Katherine." She grudgingly spelled out Katherine Pierce where it asked for mother's name and then her hand lingered over the father's name space.

"I won't sign for him. This is something he has to do himself." She grumbled, throwing the birth certificate into a pile of baby paper work from the hospital on the floor.

Bonnie arrived around an hour later with somebody they hadn't seen in a while; Jeremy. He'd moved back from Denver after Damon secretly released him from his compulsion. He had thought it would be a nice surprise for Elena since she was closer to delivery.

"JERE!" She squealed, running into his outstretched arms. He chuckled and embraced her tightly.

"My lord Elena…I'm gone for just a little while and you get yourself knocked up." He teased.

"What are you doing here?" She wondered out loud.

"Damon told me about my little nephew here and I wanted to be here for you. That and…I've really missed Bonnie." He said with a flirtatious glance in her direction. Bonnie grinned and took Scarlett from a very reluctant Katherine. Damon threw five blood bags at Jeremy.

"Pour one in her bottle about every two to three hours…she likes it warmed." Jeremy's mouth hung open, shocked that _Damon_ was the one telling him this. He was even more surprised when Damon walked over to Bonnie, bent down, and kissed Scarlett's forehead.

"I'll be back…maybe I'll run into your daddy while I'm out." He said with a wink, grabbing Elena's hand and motioning for Katherine to join them at the door. Katherine just stood and stared at her baby.

"Do I have to leave her?" Damon nodded.

"You know this is too dangerous, Kat. Bonnie and Jeremy will take good care of her." Katherine nodded and gently caressed Scarlett's cheek before briskly striding out the door. Once in the Camero, Damon called Alaric.

"Ric, I need your help man. I need to have Elijah daggered…and you're the only human I trust to do it. I'm going to distract him while Katherine and Elena distract Klaus and Stefan. Can you do that for me?" The car was quiet while Alaric spoke on the other end.

"I didn't want to, I want her to be safe, but Elena insisted. That's why Katherine is here, to protect Elena and make sure we don't have a repeat of Christmas." He said glaring at Elena, having not wanted her to tag along.

Alaric pulled in the drive way at Mikaelson Manor at the same time as Damon. He had the dagger up his sleeve and Damon smiled gratefully at him. Alaric, Elena, and Katherine hid in the bushes while Damon knocked on the door. Elijah answered the door and gave Damon a sickly sweet smile.

"What a pleasant surprise, where is the Mrs.? Did she have an unfortunate trigger into early labor as well?" Damon growled at Elijah but walked in when he stepped aside in the doorway. Alaric watched through the window and ushered the three of them inside when Elijah and Damon were out of sight.

"Was Katherine's labor so unfortunate that you couldn't bear to check on your beloved soul mate?"

"It's not polite to question people in their own home, Mr. Salvatore." Damon snorted.

"Cut the crap, Elijah. I know you slipped Katherine pitocin and I know you've been compelling her. The question is why." Elijah's eyebrow rose.

"And you've come here for the answer? Yes, I compelled Katerina to believe that her bastard child was mine…but my reasons for doing what I did are for me and my brother to know. It's none of your concern. Now it's my turn to ask a question. Where is my fiancée?" Damon's lips curled behind his fangs.

"I think it's safe to say the wedding's off. She belongs to my brother, not you. You compelled her to believe she was your soul mate and she isn't, you have no right to her." Elijah shrugged.

"Maybe I compelled her to believe that and maybe I didn't. You won't know until it wears off and that won't happen until I'm dead. You can't kill me Damon, you know that. So I guess the only thing to do is hand her over." He said taking a challenging step forward. Damon rose to the challenge, also taking a step forward.

"The only thing I will be doing here is demanding to see my brother, I have a niece at home that would like to see him. You're going to show him to me, Elijah." Elijah grabbed Damon by the throat and grabbed a picture from the wall, breaking it and jabbing a piece of the frame into his chest, just missing his heart.

"Or what?" Damon cried out in pain and Elijah began to dig the stake in further. Alaric showed up behind Elijah and pulled the dagger from his sleeve, causing Damon to break out in a relieved smile.

"Goodbye Elijah." He strained to say through the pain as Alaric stabbed Elijah in the back with the dagger, piercing his heart. Elijah turned a familiar gray color and fell to the floor. Alaric pulled the frame fragment out of Damon's chest and Elena came running in at the sound of his scream.

"Damon! Please tell me you're okay!" She said worriedly, helping him stand and gently rubbing his face. He leaned in and captured her lips and cupped her belly with his hand.

"I'm prefect now that you're here…is Katherine still with Klaus and Stefan?" Right as he asked that she walked through the doorway.

"They weren't here. Elijah was the only one home." Katherine looked like she had been crying and Elena gave Damon a slight nod as if to confirm his unspoken thought. Damon shot her his best sympathetic smile.

"They have to come back sometime, Katherine. We'll find Stefan. I promise you." Katherine smiled at Damon and then strutted over to Elijah's body. She picked him up and threw him over her shoulder.

"I could carry him…" Damon offered, but it was clear that Katherine was on a mission. She banged his head against the doorframe as she walked out.

"Oops." She muttered sarcastically and broke into vampire speed, not bothering to get in the car. By the time Damon drove back to the boarding house Katherine already had Elijah's body locked in the cellar.

"He can't stay down here…" Elena gasped in horror.

"He has too until we find a nice secluded place to dump him." Damon said matter-of-factly, dead-bolting the door. He took Elena's hand and led her back up to their bedroom.

**_STEFAN'S POINT OF VIEW_**

I got home from a long walk to find Elijah missing. I quickly dialed Klaus's number.

"We have a problem…Elijah's bailed on us." Klaus chuckled on the other line.

"To be honest I figured he would, he's always had a soft spot for Katerina. Oh well mate, I guess it's just you and me then. Elijah served his purpose, we don't need him anymore anyway. I'll be back soon I'm getting dinner. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?" I was caught off guard and a tad disturbed by the question but I answered back with an "I date brunettes, blondes are dinner." Klaus chuckled again.

"Nice choice, mate." He hung up with another throaty laugh. I shook my head and walked to my bedroom, flopping down and pulling a picture from my nightstand, along with my cell phone. If I wanted anyone to know that I never really turned my emotions off, that I'd been pretending this whole time…it'd be her. Elena. Turning them off would have been too easy, after what I had done to Elena I deserved to feel the pain of losing Katherine to Elijah. The numbness had been an emotion itself, not a flip of the switch like I'd have liked to pretend. I dialed her number and it rang for a while. I almost thought she wouldn't pick up, until I heard that melodic voice ask "Hello?"

I knew I couldn't say anything; it would jeopardize everything if she knew it was me calling her. However, Elena had always been bright.

"Stefan?" She asked very quietly, almost as if she was afraid. I once again said nothing, but basked in the sound of her voice.

"Stefan if this is you, you'll be okay. We love you, Stefan. Hold on to that. Never let that go." That was too much for me, I hung up and clung to the picture…the only item I'd taken from home, holding it tightly to my chest as I cried. When I pulled back I gently caressed the glass on the frame. It was a picture of me and Elena before we'd broken up.

"Why…Elena? I loved you, just like I loved Katherine. What is it about Doppelgangers that just..." I trailed off, lost in a sea of my own emotions. My love for Katherine, my love for Elena, my loss of both of them…it was all too much. I tenderly kissed the picture and put it back on my nightstand, hearing Klaus come in. Elena's words were ringing in my ears.

_We love you, Stefan. Hold on to that. Never let that go._

Did that mean she and Damon loved me, or that after everything Katherine still did? I wasn't sure, but I was desperate to find out. With sudden hope that one of the Petrova's could somehow love me again, I knew I couldn't help Klaus with his plan…not anymore. I headed towards the door with my picture in my hand.

"And just where do you think you're going, mate? I brought you the blond…" He said flinging a scared teenage girl at me.

"I can't do this anymore, Klaus. I'm sorry…but I think I'm still in love with them both." Klaus gave Stefan an almost sorry look and then took him by the shoulders.

"Turn it off. Love is a vampire's greatest weakness, Stefan." I could tell he was trying to compel me so I pushed him and yelled "No!" Hoping to break his concentration. Klaus cocked his head to the side in amusement.

"Amazing…the only thing stronger than my compulsion may actually be your love for these two girls…" He trailed off and stalked toward me, holding me against the wall.

"TURN IT OFF." He screamed. He was no longer compelling me but the picture of me and Elena fell from my hand and shattered on the floor. That was it, I couldn't hold on anymore. That was all the hope I'd been holding on to and now it was in literal pieces. I flipped the switch…and just like that Stefan was gone.


	18. Stefan The Heroic

Finding Stefan proved to be a lot harder than any of them had thought. After the incident with Stefan's emotions Klaus decided to finish scheming his "master plan" out in the Appalachian Mountains where he had rented a cabin. It took Damon and Elena two months to track the pair down, immediately deciding to pack up and take a road trip. Damon packed his bags and made sure his and Katherine's were in the car. Elena waddled angrily out of the house having realized her bags were still in their room.

"Damon! Why aren't my things in the car?" She asked, folding her arms across her now huge abdomen. He sighed.

"Elena, you're nine months pregnant. I can't let you put yourself in any danger. Two weeks from now you're going to have my baby…I can't take you to see my deranged brother!" Elena got tears in her eyes and her lip began to quiver, causing Damon to look away. It was hard for him to say no to her when she cried.

"Damon, I need to go with you. Stefan called me…not you, not Katherine, _me_. For whatever reason he hung on to the fact that I have always been there for him. I think it was a cry for help, he knows he can trust me to bring him back. You have to let me try." Damon sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Okay listen to me, Katherine and I are going to get Klaus out of the cabin so that you can safely talk to Stefan. Since he called you he must have his emotions on, and that way I'm pretty sure he won't hurt you…show him this, I think we'll have him roped in after that." He said, giving in and handing her a recent photo of Scarlett. At two months old she looked even _more _like Stefan, which everyone had thought was impossible. Damon went inside and got her bags, throwing them in the car and then softly grabbing the sides of her face.

"Be careful, Elena, do you understand me?" His voice was stern but loving and she nodded.

"He won't hurt me, Damon."

"He already has once…" Elena leaned up and kissed him tenderly.

"I trust him Damon. You should too, he's your brother." Damon didn't respond but helped Elena into the car reluctantly.

"Katherine you're driving, I have business to take care of in the backseat." Elena raised her eyebrow.

"What business—" She was cut off by a smoldering kiss. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and sucked on her bottom lip. She entwined her fingers in his hair and moved into his lap. When he pulled away he softly stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

"When you're alone with my self-righteous little brother who is obviously still madly in love with you…I want my kisses to replay in your mind…my touches, my affection, everything you love about me. I will _not_ lose you to anyone, especially not him." Her mouth dropped open.

"Damon…do you honestly believe I still feel for him that way?" Damon rested his forehead against hers.

"Elena I know you love me, you've proved that to me in multiple ways." He said as he gently rubbed her belly, enticing Sebastian to kick.

"But I want to be sure he won't try to steal you from me…I don't have the strength to be without you anymore." He whispered, his eyes glazed over. She nuzzled his neck and held him close to her.

"Damon he can try to steal me all he wants, but he can't have me. My heart belongs to you and only you. Always and forever." He tugged at her lips again with his teeth, a fang piercing the corner of her mouth. She groaned and gently bit into his neck and Sebastian kicked harder as the blood poured down her throat. Damon laughed.

"He must be hungry." Damon savagely bit into her forearm, the blood sharing peaking his arousal. Katherine cleared her throat loudly.

"Um…we're here if you two would kindly stop blood fucking each other." She spat, irritated that she'd had to listen to all that the entire ride up the mountain. Damon didn't want to leave the intimacy of the moment, taking another long sip of his lover's blood before letting go. He dialed Klaus's number and informed him that he knew of his brother's whereabouts and that he might want to meet him somewhere. Klaus agreed and Damon and Katherine snuck Elena to the cabin after Klaus confirmed that he was on his way to meet them. Damon kissed Elena long and hard when they got to the doorstep.

"Be safe, my princess." He whispered before he and Katherine disappeared. She bravely knocked on the door and none other than Klaus Mikaelson answered the door. He smirked.

"Ello, Love." He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the cabin.

"I'm going to go see what your pathetic little fiancé knows about my brother, so I am sorry to tell you I can't stay and entertain. However, I think you'll have a nice time with my old pal Stefan over here." He said gesturing to a figure in the corner of the room. This didn't look like the Stefan Elena knew. His eyes were blank, cold, and uncaring. He smiled falsely and walked towards her.

"Stefan, why don't you show Ms. Gilbert your room? I'm sure she'd be interested to know that even with your emotions shut off you still bothered to keep that shattered picture of the two of you." Elena cocked her head to the side.

"You took a picture of us?" Stefan shrugged.

"Not like it matters." He took her roughly by the hand and pulled her into the room as Klaus slammed the door and locked it behind him.

"I'll be leaving now…you aren't leaving that room until the jobs done mate, I'm tired of waiting." The two heard the front door shut and Elena stared wide-eyed at Stefan.

"What job?" He smirked and walked closer to her.

"Killing you, Elena. Klaus met with a witch in Chicago named Gloria who'd seen a prophecy back in the twenties of a pure bred vampire baby. Klaus had thought she was nuts until I told him about you and Katherine. The prophecy foretold that the child would not be immortal until its sixteenth birthday when its fangs came in, even though it still needed human blood to survive and couldn't be out in the sunlight. Since purebloods were only born to Doppelgangers that means that as long as the child isn't immortal yet, their Petrova blood can be used to create Hybrids. That is what Klaus wants with Katherine and Scarlett. You on the other hand…he just wants to be rid of you. You've pissed him off one too many times Elena." He snarled, pulling her close to him. She tried to squirm away.

"You don't want to help him do this to Scarlett! Believe me, I know you're angry with Katherine but you don't have to feel that way anymore! Elijah had been compelling Katherine the entire time to believe they were soul mates, Klaus lied to you about what Elijah's been doing. Scarlett is _your _baby. Stefan, I've seen her, she looks just like you! If you could just find it within yourself to turn your emotions back on all that grief would turn to joy." Stefan scoffed at her.

"What makes you think I'd ever believe you after all you've done to me…abandoning me and jumping in bed with my brother over one little slap?! How many more ways can you rip my heart out, Elena, when I barely hit you!" He bellowed, his grip on her arms tightening painfully.

"You hit me hard Stefan, you just don't know your own strength! And why the hell would I lie to you after all we've been through together? After everything you've done to destroy this family we still love you…_Katherine_ still loves you!" She screamed, bursting into frantic tears.

"Prove it." His eyes darkened, thick black veins popping out beneath his eyes and his fangs baring, as if to intimidate her. She flashed her own fangs and hissed at him.

"Let me go and I will." Stefan reluctantly let her go and she pulled the picture of Scarlett from her pocket along with another picture that Katherine didn't know she had taken. She handed him that one first.

"I took this especially to show to you…she cries herself to sleep at night cuddling your shirt." He looked down at a curled up Katherine on his bed, mascara streaks down her cheeks and her nose buried into one of his navy blue shirts. Before he could comment, she handed him the picture of Scarlett. They were both quiet for a moment as he gazed at it.

"You'd be a fool to think she isn't yours." Just when she thought it might be working, Stefan dropped the pictures on the floor.

"A few pictures aren't going to save your life, Elena. I will rip you apart." His words were menacing but something about his tone had changed, as if the pictures had weakened his resolve.

"Don't be this person, Stefan. This isn't you." Elena whispered softly.

"Elena stop." He half begged, some unwanted emotion seeping through.

"Where is the Stefan I fell in love with? You are so much better than what you have become." She reached out to touch his face, but he quickly pushed her, flinging her against the wall.

"I said stop!" He screamed. Elena just stared at him as he calmed down, seeming to come to his senses the more the two gazed at one another. After a while of silence Stefan finally said "The Stefan you loved is gone. He's been dead a while now." His voice was very quiet, and if Elena hadn't been a vampire she probably wouldn't have even heard him. She rubbed her baby belly, which was suddenly aching, as she stood back up straight.

"You're wrong, Stefan. If that were true I'd be dead by now. You're going to have to turn it on, Stef. Especially now." Her face scrunched in pain and Stefan took a terrified step back, having a pretty good idea of what was going on.

"A-And why is that?"

"You don't want to be numb inside when you meet your nephew do you?" Stefan immediately turned and tried to break down the door. It didn't budge.

"Damn it…he had someone spell the fucking door." He grumbled, trying once more to knock the door off its hinges. Nothing. Elena screamed loudly and Stefan nearly jumped out of his skin. When he turned to face her he noticed that she'd sank to the floor.

"S-Stefan, my water broke…p-please turn it back on!" She whimpered helplessly, her eyes practically begging him. In a panic he did as she asked, closing his eyes and flipping his switch back on. An overwhelming sense of love, need, and urgency consumed Stefan, his feelings picking up right where they'd left off when he was walking out on Klaus. He burst into rather violent tears and sped to Elena's side, picking her up and carrying her to the large bed in the center of the room. He gently caressed the side of her face, trying to assure her that everything would be okay.

"You asked me to turn it on and I did…so you have to forgive me for doing this." He said as he gently pulled her into a passionate yet very tender kiss. He pulled back and smiled, relieved that she hadn't slapped him.

"S-Stefan, I won't tell Damon you did that…just please call him, okay? I need him." Stefan nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Um…Elena…my phone is dead." She took a deep breath.

"Then you're going to have to deliver him." Stefan looked worried and panic-stricken.

"I don't know what I'm doing, but for you…I'll try." He said as he softly pushed her hair behind her ears and helped her out of her pants. Elena began to push, screaming in agony and bursting into another fit of tears. Stefan's heart was breaking, having never seen her in so much pain. She pushed three more heart-wrenching times to no avail. He climbed onto the bed with her and held her left leg out for her as she spread them both wide. He gently rubbed the inside of her leg in comfort as she pushed again.

"Come on Elena, you're doing so good." He urged her soothingly, moving from his spot on the bed to between her legs to check her progress.

"He's crowing, baby, you've got this. One more big push." He continued to rub her leg, smiling as it visibly comforted her. She groaned loudly in pain as something very warm fell into Stefan's arms. The small raven haired baby cried out and Stefan smiled, handing him to Elena. She gasped happily in surprise as her baby opened his bright blue eyes.

"He looks just like his daddy." She murmured as she gently nuzzled the small bundle. Stefan walked over to where he had dropped the pictures and picked them up. Then he got back onto the bed and wrapped one arm around Elena, who gave him a don't-think-I-don't-know-what-you're-doing glare. Stefan just smiled, not bothering to move it.

"She really is a spitting image of me, huh?" He asked proudly. Elena nodded.

Suddenly there was a loud bang on the door and a familiar voice yelled "Elena?!" Stefan noted how her entire face lit up at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Damon! Can you get in? Stefan couldn't break down the door!" Damon kicked the door in and ran to her side.

"Klaus un-spelled the door once he thought you were dead…he told me to come claim your body…I thought the worst…" He said with tears in his eyes. She shook her head and gently caressed his cheek.

"Look, Damon. Stefan had to deliver him…we tried to call but his phone was dead. He looks just like you." Damon picked up his son and held him tightly to his chest.

"I'm so sorry I missed it…he's beautiful." Damon's tears finally spilled over as he cuddled his child and whispered sweet things in his ear, as if to make up for not being there. He walked over and kissed Elena feverishly and shot his brother a grateful smile.

"Thanks for looking out for her, Stefan. But we'd better hurry and leave, Katherine headed home and Klaus could get back any moment from the goose chase we led him on to find Elijah." He handed Sebastian to Elena and picked her up, carrying her to the door before looking over his shoulder at his brother.

"Come on brother, you and Katherine have paperwork to sign." He said with a proud grin and a wink. Stefan smiled back, having felt like a family again for the first time in 145 years.


	19. Their Hearts Will Go On

**Author's Note: This was the inspiration for this chapter: **  
/IATzYdiWtQ0** and this is Damon's lullaby: ** /SlwvY1U1lJI

When Stefan walked through the door Katherine's mouth dropped open. She stood and walked to him slowly, cradling a baby in a light pink dress. Without a word she carefully handed the baby to Stefan. Scarlett stared into her father's jade green eyes, the ones that matched hers, and smiled. Stefan very gently stroked her curly light brown hair and she made the cutest giggle.

"She likes you." Katherine whispered. He walked over to Katherine and pecked her lips lightly.

"I love you." She grinned pulling him in for a rougher kiss.

"I love you too, Stefan. Welcome home." Scarlett's hand curled around one of Stefan's fingers and he looked down lovingly at her.

"Her middle name is Mary." Katherine added quietly. Stefan's smile grew and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Thank you."

Damon took Elena and Sebastian upstairs, leaving the other three Salvatore's to themselves. He laid down on the bed, allowing Sebastian to curl up on his chest. Elena nuzzled into Damon's side and he gently caressed her back. Sebastian made sweet little whimpering sounds as he got comfortable and Damon softly sang him to sleep. It was the lullaby he remembered his mother singing to him all through his childhood, and once or twice to Stefan before she died.

_Heaven's gift to me_

_Just the way you are_

_A new aged child_

_Always in my heart_

_There's so much in life_

_For you to be_

_And so much to see_

_You are heaven's gift to me_

"Hmm…that's pretty." Elena murmured, half asleep herself. Damon smiled, his mind back in the 1800's with his mother.

"You like it, baby?" Elena nodded. Sebastian seemed to have liked it too as he was now fast asleep. Then again, it didn't really matter what Damon sang, Sebastian had always proven to be fond of his father's voice.

"Princess? Are you still awake?" She mumbled at faint yes as he entwined his fingers in her long brunette locks.

"Be my wife, tomorrow." She recalled the first time he'd said that and she grinned sleepily.

"I need a dress…" Damon shook his head.

"No you don't. Elena…I'd really like it if you wore my mother's wedding dress. If you don't mind, of course. You are the only woman that's ever meant as much to me as she did." He said very quietly. She couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want to wake up Sebastian or if he was scared his voice would crack.

"I have her wedding ring too…Elena; it would mean the world to me if you'd have both." She sat up and softly traced the outline of his jaw with her finger.

"I would love too." He beamed in surprise and got up slowly, laying Sebastian in his bassinette beside the bed. He held out his hand for her to take.

"Let me show you." She took his and he led her down to the basement, which to Elena's surprise was filled with old items from the 1800's.

"Stefan and I kept a lot of things from our childhood. It's our way of memorializing the people we used to be. Most of Mother's possessions are down here, although I keep the dress and ring locked away in a chest instead of laying around like the rest of this stuff." When they reached the corner of the basement there was a large wooden chest sitting beside an enormous antique wardrobe. Damon pulled a skeleton key from his pocket and unlocked the chest. On top was the ring, which Elena didn't get a good look at before he slipped it into his pocket.

"You'll see that tomorrow." He said with a wink, pulling out the dress. It was beautiful. It had a two-piece silk and wool blend trim with pinked and pleated silk taffeta on the ruffled skirt, which was lined in polished cotton. The bodice was a lemon taffeta corset that laced up the back with a mild sweetheart bust line.

"Do you like it?" His voice was almost timid and a hint of a blush was visible under his ocean colored eyes.

"No," She said with a tiny smile. His face fell but she busted out laughing and cupped his chin with her hand.

"I love it." He laid the dress back in the trunk and twirled Elena around, pulling her into a heated kiss.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me." She kissed his neck and licked along the side of his face.

"How about you show me." He chuckled and gently pushed her away.

"How about no." She pouted and tried to snake her hand up his shirt.

"Why not?" He kissed her hard, biting her lip and lapping the blood with his tongue. She groaned and he smirked, pulling away.

"Because tomorrow is our wedding night…pre-marital sex is a no-no." She nearly burst out giggling.

"We have a baby together Damon, I think that rule went out the window nine months ago." He smirked wider.

"Did it, Miss Gilbert?" He asked coyly, kissing the back of her hand. She grinned, knowing what game he was playing now.

"Of course not, Mr. Salvatore." She snickered, doing her best curtsey even though she was wearing jeans. Damon proceeded to do the eye thing he knew she loved and extended his elbow for her to loop her arm through.

"Come on a stroll with me, Miss Gilbert." She took his arm and he took her out of the basement and out on the front yard, where they continued to walk along the side of the road.

"Back in my day weddings were done at home on the Plantation. The wedding party consisted of six family members each and the entire house would be decorated in white flowers. Each family member was invited by a servant who hand took them the invitation, which was bands of ribbon mounted on white parchment." Elena watched his face intently as he spoke, loving the way his eyes twinkled when he reminisced.

"Then the family members would stay the night and were expected to sleep on a piece of the wedding cake." Damon chuckled at the look Elena gave him.

"It was said that a person sleeping with wedding cake under their pillow would dream of their future partner that night, it was tradition." He explained with a fond smile.

"Now day's cake is moister and softer than it was back then so it could get messy, but I think messy is fun." Elena grinned.

"Do you want to stick by your old world traditions tomorrow, Mr. Salvatore?" He laughed.

"Well we'll have to make exceptions for the wedding party, and no one has servants anymore so we could just be assholes and knock on everyone's door at two AM when we finish making the invites…but other than that, yes." She gasped in mock-horror.

"Mr. Salvatore! No one in the 1800's used such language!" Damon laughed and wrapped an arm around her.

"Sure we did, as long as Father didn't catch us." He said with a wink. He walked Elena back inside the house and up to their room.

"Okay Elena, I'm going to make a bottle for Sebastian. He's still asleep but he needs to eat so wake him up. I will quickly go get parchment from the store and then you and I are going to be assholes." She rolled her eyes playfully and nodded, gently nudging her baby and picking him up from the bassinet. Damon was back in a flash with a warm bottle and a grocery bag from the store. Elena wondered if she would ever get used to vampire speed and having a ridiculously fast husband.

Sebastian ate hungrily in his mother's arms while Damon gracefully wrote the wedding date, place, time, and who was getting married in his beautiful penmanship on ribbons and gluing them to the parchment. He wrote six invitations and then made a tiny one for Scarlett. Sebastian began to cry after finishing his bottle and Elena cradled and rocked him as Damon sang again and rubbed his back.

_You are so sweet and pure_

_Just the way you are_

_Mama's precious jewel_

_Daddy's rising star_

_There's so much in life_

_For you to see_

_And so much to be_

_You are heavens gift to me_

That was all it took and Sebastian was once again fast asleep, not even stirring as Damon took him from Elena and lay him back in the bassinet. The couple stood there for a moment, hands clasped together and heads leaning against one another's.

"He's perfect, Elena." He whispered. She squeezed his hand.

"I know." Damon then turned to grab the invitations; his eyes alight with playfulness and excitement.

"Come on, Princess." He said as he grasped her hand and pulled her down the stairs.

Stefan and Katherine were still down there, watching lovingly as their daughter slept in Stefan's arms. Damon handed them each an invitation and he tucked the small invitation into Scarlett's blanket.

"You're the best man Steffy, and Kat's maid of honor." Damon called over his shoulder and tugged Elena out the door. He opened the door for her and grinned wolfishly at her.

"Get in babe!" He urged excitedly. Elena giggled, loving his sense of adventure and getting in the car.

"Who all did you invite?" She asked happily, unable to stop smiling.

"Alaric, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Adriana." She cocked her head to the side.

"No Caroline?" Damon snorted.

"After what that bitch did to you? Hell no." Elena seemed pleased with this and laced her fingers between his. Soon they pulled up at Alaric house and Damon bounded to the door with Elena at his side. He had to ring the doorbell about five times for him to even get out of bed.

"What the hell do you two want?!" He barked, obviously not one that enjoyed being woken up at two in the morning.

"You are cordially invited." Elena practically sang as Damon handed him the invitation.

"And this couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"The wedding _is_ tomorrow, buddy." Damon chimed. Alaric was taken back a little.

"You are oddly chipper tonight Damon…it's creepy." Damon shrugged.

"Well, I'm feeling oddly human tonight, Ric." With that Damon turned on his heel and strode back to his Camero.

"Come, Beloved, we have more houses to hit." He said in his best gentlemanly voice causing Elena to giggle again. Alaric just shook his head wearily and went back to bed.

Damon and Elena got back from giving everyone invitations around 3:30 AM and Damon could tell Elena was growing tired.

"Go to bed Princess, I got this." She nuzzled into him.

"But you need to sleep too." He petted her hair.

"I will sleep later, go on to bed. Okay?" Too tired to argue, she nodded and went to sleep after checking on Sebastian.

The next morning Elena awoke to an alarm that Damon had apparently set without him _or _Sebastian, but there was a note on Damon's side of the bed.

"My dearest Warrior Princess,

Don't freak out, Sebastian is with Jeremy. I am where I need to be for the ceremony, everything is ready and awaiting you. Katherine will be with you shortly, she's listening for the alarm. She'll help you into your dress. The red dress beside your wedding dress is for the covenant ceremony, which we shall discuss later. I love you.

-Eternal Stud"

Elena put the note down and walked over to the dresses. Beside Damon's mothers dress was a long flowing red and white dress. It was also a corset dress, the corset part being red and flowing out into a silky white and red skirt. She reached out to feel it when Katherine walked in.

"Nuh-uh, not that one. I'm helping you into that poofy thing." She said pointing to the wedding dress. Elena stepped into the dress and held her breath as Katherine mercilessly laced it up.

"Hurts doesn't it? I was so happy when they did away with these damn things." She grumbled. Elena nodded, struggling to get a breath in.

"There you go." Katherine smiled, handing Elena a small bouquet of red roses wrapped in a lace handkerchief at the bottom. Then she grabbed a cream colored ribbon and brained two strands of Elena's hair back, trying them together with the ribbon so that it looked like she had a small braided crown while the rest of her hair was kept long.

"I used to wear my hair like this in the 1400's…I think it's cute on you." She said with a grin. Elena pulled Katherine into a hug.

"Thanks, Kat." Katherine grinned wider.

"What are maids of honor for right?"

"Best friends." Elena corrected. Katherine looked a little shocked but then beamed at Elena.

"Exactly! Now let me get my make-up bag!" She rambled excitedly.

When Elena finally descended the Salvatore staircase all eyes were on her. Elena noticed that Damon had taken the time to decorate the house in white daisies and ropes of smilax. Stefan was standing to the left of the fireplace, Katherine took her spot on the right, and in the middle was her Damon. The other guests were standing off to the side and out of the way as Elena approached him. He looked amazing as always, in a Victorian style tux and a broad smile on his face.

"You are so beautiful." He mouthed to her as the minister began to speak, who was standing opposite of Damon on the other side of the room.

"**Dearly** beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of friends and family, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony." He turned to Damon.

"**Will** you have this Woman to be your wedded Wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep only unto her, so long as you both shall live?" Damon winked at her.

"I will." Then he turned to Elena.

"**Will** you have this Man to be your wedded Husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will you obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep only unto him, so long as you both shall live?" She nodded happily.

"I will."

"Who is giving the bride away?" Alaric stepped forward.

"I am." Alaric then took Elena's right hand and placed it in Damon's as instructed by the minister. He then kissed Elena on the cheek and whispered "congrats man" to Damon before heading back to his place with the rest of the guests.

"Now repeat after me. I Damon, take you Elena, to be my wife. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life." Damon repeated the words while gently caressing Elena's hand.

"Your turn, Elena. I Elena, take you Damon, to be my husband. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life." Elena also repeated the vow, her eyes never once breaking contact with Damon's. Then Stefan walked over to Jeremy and took Sebastian and carried him over. The ring was in the shirt pocket of his little onsee. Damon got them out and then kissed his sons temple before Stefan took him back.

"You said he'd make a cute ring bearer…you were right." Damon whispered. It took all of Elena's strength not to burst into tears.

"I love you so much." She whispered back.

"I know." He mouthed cockily, doing the eye thing again. It was for the first time that she got to see Damon's mothers ring. It was a simple wedding band with rose cut diamonds and synthetic rubies embedded in a little row. It was beautiful.

"With this ring I thee wed." Damon said gently, placing the ring on her left ring finger above her engagement ring. Then she took the simple gold wedding ring she'd gotten him in her hand.

"With this ring I thee wed." She choked out, about to cry, slipping it on his left ring finger.

"By the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

"Finally!" Damon breathed, dipping Elena back and kissing her with all that he had.

Damon and Elena cut the cake and then Damon took her upstairs to help her into her other dress. He unlaced her dress and went to get the red one as she stepped out of it and carefully laid it on the bed. He kissed her collar, gently sucking and leaving a hickey.

"I can't wait to do that everywhere to you tonight, Mrs. Salvatore." She blushed deeply at the name.

"Your rule not mine, Mr. Salvatore." Damon chuckled and held her hand as she stepped into the red dress and he laced it up the back for her. One look at her in that dress and he groaned.

"How did I get so lucky…" She rolled her eyes at his lust-filled expression, remembering how he'd brushed her off the night before.

"Behave yourself, Mr." She scolded playfully, taking his hand as the couple headed out to the cemetery. Damon grabbed two silver goblets and handed one to Elena. Bit a hole in his wrist and let his blood drain into the cup, gesturing for Elena to do the same with hers. Then they laced their arms together so that her goblet was in front of him, and his was in front of her.

"I give you my blood, my body, and my soul. You are mine and only mine, my darling, my life, and my bride, for all eternity." He smiled gently and Elena took a deep breath.

"I give you my blood, my love, and my everything. You are mine and only mine, my protector, my soul mate, and my beloved husband, for all eternity." Then the two of them rose their goblets to each other's lips and partook in each other's blood simultaneously. As the blood dripped down their throats they could literally feel each other's soul, the intense blood bond they shared deepening and becoming the most permanent and scared bond ever shared. When the cups were empty they dropped them to the floor, kissing passionately and exchanging blood in their mouths, as if to seal the bond. When they pulled back they grinned at each other, blood all over their face and clothes. Damon licked his lips.

"That's why I had you change dresses…I knew this would be messy." With the new bond bubbling under their skin, just one smile was all it took. They pounced on one another, Damon tearing her dress off, along with his pants after pulling a condom from his pocket.

"You anticipated this?" She asked quizzically. He smirked.

"Oh I hoped for it." He once again took her lips with his and shoved his tongue in her mouth forcefully, dominating the kiss. Pulling away he buried his face between her legs and gently nibbled at her clit, causing her to through her head back in a moan.

"Damon…p-please." He nodded in agreement.

"I know baby, I know. I need it too." He pulled the condom on and gently eased into her, nearly losing himself at the sound she made. He picked up the pace, slamming into her hard and pulling her into another needy kiss.

They made love in the cemetery as the sun began to set; connected by an unbreakable bond, a love that was more than love, deeper than love. Something only the two of them would ever share. Damon reached his climax and screamed her name, her body tightening around him.

"You're my everything." He whispered, staying within her and pulling her close to his chest. Elena had never felt more wanted or needed in her life.

"As you are mine." She responded gently, burying her face in his neck, aching to be closer. They laid like that for hours, husband and wife, souls bound and laced by each other's love forever.


	20. Epilogue

**Author's note: This is the last chapter you guys! The sequel will be called "He's the air she would kill to breathe"**

**EPILOUGE**

_*Three years later*_

Sebastian followed Damon outside as he prepared to give his son a little hunting practice. Sebastian sat on a log and watched as his father sped away. He was back in under ten seconds flat with a scared looking prostitute.

"Now son, you really ought to pick out someone who deserves it, someone you won't feel bad if you accidently kill. I know you're young and your mother would die if she knew I was telling you this, but you need to understand that with vampirism comes a lot of sometimes unpleasant things. Accidents happen, okay?" Sebastian was staring wide-eyed at his father but he nodded.

"Look into the persons eyes and concentrate very hard. It's important that you stay strong on blood so that this works all right? So that means no pulling an Uncle Stefan and trying the bunny-eater diet…that just isn't healthy. Once you have her in a daze, compel her. Tell her that everything will be fine, and that she will feel no pain." Damon demonstrated on the girl. Once she was calm he tilted her head to the side.

"Then it's time for dinner." He finished with a smirk, his fangs protruding and puncturing her neck. Sebastian cocked his head to the side as he watched Damon drink.

"Daddy?" Damon pulled away from the girl's neck and smiled, loving to hear his son's sweet bubbly voice.

"Yes?"

"How come I don't have fangs like you? I want to eat the way you do." Damon's heart melted and his eyes glowed with love. Sebastian had been trying to be like and mimic Damon since the day he learned to walk. Damon absolutely adored how close they were.

"You will get your fangs, don't worry, it's just an age thing. Until you're a little older you'll stick to blood bags. But you know, I drink blood bags too, so you do eat like me." He said with a reassuring smile, kneeling to be at eye level with his son. They grinned at each other, but the moment was interrupted by female squeals.

"Ian! Ian!" Scarlett screamed in a high pitched giggle, tackling the slightly younger boy to the ground.

"Scar, my name is Sebastian!" He grumbled. Damon laughed.

"That's my boy." Scarlett pouted, something she had no doubt learned from Katherine as she pushed her long curls from her eyes.

"You know you like it…Aunt Elena calls you that too, even Mommy and Daddy do."

"But _my_ Daddy calls me Sebastian." He stated proudly, folding his arms in annoyance. Damon grinned wider than a Cheshire cat and picked up his son.

"I love you." He chuckled as Sebastian hugged him tightly around the neck.

"I love you too." Scarlett, who was immensely fond of her uncle, reached up for him too. He smiled adoringly down at her and moved Sebastian on to one hip and the picked Scarlett up and placed her on the other. Damon walked towards the house and Elena met him at the door with a kiss.

"Dinner's ready." He rested his forehead against hers.

"Thank you beautiful." He let the kids down, who ran off to play in the living room and Damon pulled her into him. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she fisted his hair. They kissed for a little while until Stefan walked into the kitchen.

"Smells great, Bunny." Elena shot Stefan an incredulous look. He'd started calling her that three years prior, right after he came home stating "I used to eat bunnies and I used to eat you, so I thought it fit." Of course that had caused Damon to punch him in the face that night.

"Excuse me?" Damon hissed and Elena was about to scold him when she burst into laughter. Stefan had hair pins and rollers all in his hair. Scarlett and Sebastian bounded in gleefully.

"Isn't Uncle Stefan pretty, Mommy?" Elena laughed harder, doubled over, and Damon shot him a smug look.

"Oh yes, Steffy is one _gorgeous _hunk of a woman." Stefan gritted his teeth but put on a smile for the children. Scarlett took hold of her father's hand and tugged.

"Come on Daddy, Ian and I are going to paint your fingernails." Damon tried and failed to suppress a snicker but then the horrible look on Stefan's face made him feel sorry for him.

"Leave Stefan alone, kids, let's go to the park." He and Elena were still giggling as they took the kids hands and walked toward the door.

"What about dinner?" Stefan asked.

"You and Katherine eat it; I'm in the mood for a nice walk with my husband." Elena said as she gave Damon a warm smile. He returned it, rubbing her cheek gently and pulling her in to another kiss. Damon then opened the door, guiding the children outside until he heard Katherine come up behind him.

"No sir, Scarlett is staying here and eating what Elena cooked, she didn't eat ANYTHING yesterday." She said with a motherly glare at her daughter.

"I had some hot blood with coco that Uncle Damon made me Mama…doesn't that count?"

"Scarlett Mary!" Katherine said in a raised voice, giving Damon an I-Will-Kill-You-If-You-Ever-Feed-My-Daughter-Chocolate-Ever-Again look. Scarlett looked down dejectedly and walked back inside. Damon winked at her and mouthed "I'll make you a surprise later" causing her to break out in a small smile and wave as Damon, Elena, and Sebastian left.

Damon had Sebastian's left hand and Elena had his right, swinging him along as they walked to the park. Damon smiled happily as he listened to his little boy's giggles and caught glimpses of his wife's beaming face.

"Daddy, Mommy, will you sing to me while we play in the park?" The couple grinned, knowing exactly the song he wanted. Elena had learned the words from listening to Damon the last three years.

"Heaven's gift to me, just the way you are." They never finished, accidently bumping into someone.

"I'm sorry, we weren't watching where we were going…" Elena trailed off realizing that the person they'd bumped into was Klaus. His eyes were shinning brighter than usual, and his expression was twisted into an evil smile.

"Ah, if it isn't the Salvatore's. I've been looking for you, mates." Damon instinctively stepped in front of Elena and Sebastian.

"Go away Klaus." He growled. Klaus cocked his head to the side.

"Is that any way to talk to the man who holds your family's life in his hands?" Within an instant two of Klaus's hybrids had Elena and Sebastian. Damon bared his fangs.

"Let them go." He growled, enticing a laugh from Klaus.

"Or what? You can't kill me, Damon. I believe I've proved that on multiple occasions." Damon glowered at him.

"What do you want? I'll give you anything, just don't hurt them." He pleaded, his heart breaking as Sebastian burst into terrified tears.

"I want you to make a choice, Damon. Sebastian or Elena, in order for my plan to work one of these lovelies has to die…take your pick." Damon's eyes filled with tears.

"Please don't do this…I can't…please…" Damon's eyes were filled with horror, knowing that if he made a move for one of them the other would die. Sebastian sniffled.

"Don't cry Daddy…" He whimpered out.

"Chose Ian…Damon. You know that's the right choice. You have to let me go." Elena said quietly. Damon looked at her with broken eyes.

"Elena I can't chose…I can't kill you, and I can't kill him. Klaus please…take me instead." He begged.

"Sorry mate…how about I just make the decision for you then?" Damon screamed no but it was too late. The hybrids drew stakes and shoved them through both Sebastian and Elena's hearts. Elena whispered an "I love you" before both of them turned gray and fell to the floor. Damon ran to them.

"Ian!" It was the first time Damon had ever called his son by Elena's name for him. He shook his tiny shoulders and sobbed.

"Ian look at Daddy…please, you are not dead!" He cried, stroking his son's cheek and kissing his forehead. The he looked over at Elena.

"Princess? Elena please say something, anything. Elena! I told you I couldn't lose you…you promised me I'd never lose you." He sobbed harder, deciding that in his desperation he'd pretend it was a fairytale. He'd let himself believe true loves kiss could bring her back. He gently pressed his lips against hers…their final kiss. Nothing happened and Damon nuzzled her, caressing her hair whispering "I love you" over and over into her ear.

"I failed you both." Klaus walked over to where Damon was kneeling.

"Give it a rest, they aren't coming back." Damon lunged for him.

"I'm going to fucking end you! I will make you pay for taking them from me if it's the last thing I do." He spat.

"Good luck with that…as if you'd even be able to find me…or their bodies." Damon looked behind them quickly and noticed that the hybrids had vanished with Elena and Sebastian. Damon through all his strength into a punch but fell on his face. Klaus had disappeared too.

And there Damon sat, completely and utterly alone. Everything and everyone he'd ever loved had been taken from him…his only two reasons for existing had been ripped from his arms. Elena and Damon's souls had been connected…so whatever pain he'd had felt after her death anyway was increased by 20 fold. His life no longer had meaning, he was an empty shell. Unable to carry the weight of his love any longer, unable to handle the suffocating agony, all there was left to do was turn it off. He could practically hear Elena's voice in his head.

_I choose you, Damon. It will always be you._

Those were the words that had given him life, so he figured they may as well be the ones that gave took it away.

"It's always been you, Elena. And it will be forever." He whispered, his very last words before flipping his switch and shutting off every emotion he'd ever known.


End file.
